Activities to distract FTD dad

Maryjane01

I'm reading all your posts with great interest and gratitude for all what I'm learning about this awful illness and lovely relatives that live its consequences with so much care, love and life-openness. I wanted to check if anyone had ideas for how to distract my dad when he starts with his obsessive routines. Until a couple of weeks ago, he would still listen to me and trust me if I would offer an alternative, now he is solely focus on his things and doesn't let anything go from his hands until he has done what he has in mind. For example, he takes around glasses (many), with some water, from one room to another, and then pass the water from one glass to another. I let him do it most of the time, but when he takes two it's a problem as he then can't be properly balanced walking and it becomes dangerous, especially when he goes up and down the stairs.

Does anyone have a similar experience and has found a way to distract them? or some activities that keep them busy replacing some of these obsessive things?

Thank you for any tip you may have!

Jeanne C.

Hi and welcome.

The ocd behaviors can definitely be tough. Honestly, I just ignore most of it with my husband. At the end of the day I collect the things he's moved (in his case, he folds towels and placemats and takes them all over the house) and lock up things that are dangerousor valuable. I know the stairs can be a challenge. Once my husband started having balance issues, I blocked off the stairs to the loft and locked the basement door. Fortunately the rest of our house is a single floor. I will also say that I often distract him with a snack or a walk. But, once he started meds for the more troubling behaviors (agitation, aggression, etc.) some of the ocd has decreased.

You may also want to pose this question on the main caregiver board to get more responses.

Maryjane01

thank you Jeanne, this is super useful to me. If I may, which meds does your husband take to treat the behaviours? We're looking into options since they are becoming a lot more troubling.

Jeanne C.

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/219700#Comment_219700

My husband, for the most part, has been on Risperdal and Lexapro. He has other meds now for comfort as he's under hospice care. From talking with others, the combination of an anti-anxiety (like Lexapro or trazadone) and an atypical anti-psychotic (Risperdal or seroquel) seems to be most prescribed for FTD. Be wary as some alzheimer meds have the opposite effect for FTD patients. All the best to you and your family.

CStrope

My DH is on Risperidone and clonazepam. He too had his own obsessive behaviors, that eventually stopped. He would pack and unpack his briefcase over and over and over. So his actions were pretty basic to deal with. He did have a period of time where he was constantly getting a new glass out and getting a drink of water. I moved all the glasses out of the cupboard except 2, telling him they were all dirty. I had them behind some other items in a different cupboard. I also put rubberbands on a couple of the cupboards to keep him from pulling everything out. Basically I child proofed the kitchen!