Isolation

RMremdler

Hi there,

Hoping someone can relate to what I’m currently experiencing. Backstory—DH age 68 with mild cognitive impairment with pending additional neurological tests and neuropsychological consult. Deficits are speech, executive function at this point.
He has always wanted to do stuff together-going places, out to eat, for a walk, etc.

Increasingly, he has no interest in doing anything together. He’s very content to sit, alone, playing games on his phone. He’s becoming more comfortable to be isolated and alone, which means less and less verbal interaction.

Are these behaviors associated with the cognitive changes? Or is this just a midlife crisis? Appreciate your input.

ronda b

My dh has gone through that. He is a little better about going out to eat. But anything that has to do with alot of people or noise no. He would rather stay home and listen to music.

harshedbuzz

Dementia is about so much more than having a lousy short-term memory. In addition to the executive function issues you are seeing, you would expect to see a loss of empathy for others (understanding you might want to talk to do something together), apathy (where activities that you formerly enjoyed are no longer fun for you) and inertia (loss of the ability to initiate an activity).

Also, you might reconsider his access to a phone and the internet without supervision. People in this stage can easily get scammed or make terrible financial decisions.

HB

H1235

Some other things to consider. A menu can be confusing and overwhelming and he is not going to tell you he is having trouble. Conversation can be difficult to follow when talking in a small group with friends. Even if it’s just you and him talking, background noises and conversations can be distracting. Too much commotion may also be unsettling. I doubt he would tell you if these things are bothering him. He may not be able to fully understand it himself. Anosognosia would mean he doesn’t recognize these symptoms and he probably just feels like he doesn’t enjoy them anymore. I agree that lack of empathy may also be a factor. The ability to understand the give and takes of a relationship may be an issue. I would be more inclined to believe it’s dementia related rather than a mid life crisis.

CindyBum

Oh yes. This behavior is very consistent with cognitive decline. As the world and even interacting with you becomes more and more confusing, often folks with dementia will begin to make their own world's smaller like that. I'm so sorry. It makes your own part of this journey a bit lonelier as well.

Big hug

​fesk

It might be as mentioned above the inability to initiate or understand and do the things you once did, the menu being confusing, etc. Things can now be overwhelming. As my mother's skills declined, I tried to alter things (changing rules of games, crafts, activities, offering choices from the menu, suggesting food came cut so she didn't have to struggle, etc.) so they were more in line with her current skills. She stayed engaged until very advanced. If you haven't already, you might try changing things up a little to see if there's any improvement.

RMremdler

Thank you all for your responses and suggestions! This is uncharted territory so it really helps to have a community that understands!