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Strategies to distract dad with FTD when doing obsessive and repetitive things

Hello all, thank you in advance for reading this message and for any idea you may have.

I'm looking for new ideas to distract my dad (with FTD) 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!

Comments

  • Jeanne C.
    Jeanne C. Member Posts: 839
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    Member

    I responded to you on the FTD group page, but just thought of something else. My husband could often be redirected by an interesting photography book or a deck of playing cards. And his day program used to give him towels to fold.

  • terei
    terei Member Posts: 588
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    Have you tried putting the glasses where he cant access them?

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 4,455
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    Member

    Empty the glasses of liquid, then give him some plastic glasses or cups to carry around.

    Iris

  • dancsfo
    dancsfo Member Posts: 299
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    Member
    edited August 19

    Perhaps you can hide most of the cups except one (preferably plastic) to "play with". While I thought that these obsessions bring some sort of joy or sense of purpose, I also found that failure in doing these tasks brings frustrations too. I overhead a muttering of "I wish I would die soon" after a failure.

  • Maryjane01
    Maryjane01 Member Posts: 9
    First Comment
    Member

    exactly, I feel that he has some satisfaction in doing this irrational thing, that perhaps makes some sense in his mind, especially because it goes from one place to another, so there is some sort of objective. I also think that I prefer this one to other objects he may decide to bring around (one day he started moving paints from the wall, luckily by ignoring him this one lasted only that day).

    It feels extremely sad to read your messages and know you're also going through something similar, and relieving at the same time to know we're not alone.

  • Maryjane01
    Maryjane01 Member Posts: 9
    First Comment
    Member

    thank you again Jeanne, for another great tip. I tried with a little piece of cake when it gets very bad, and rederecting to other smaller obsessions he has (curiously, also with towels…). Sometimes it works!

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more