Behavior

Have you heard about showtiming? This is the phenomenon of people with dementia outperforming their usual abilities, many times in public situations or with people they don't know. But it usually cannot be sustained for long. It is particularly common in those with a lot of "cognitive reserve." My partner falls in this category and can laugh and joke with the aides and nurses at her facility, she can be charming when she wants to be. But although she can still maintain a social facade, there's nothing there behind it. she'll laugh and joke with someone and then when they leave, ask me "who was that?"

My mom, whose communication skills are quite poor now, will occasionally come up with a weirdly insightful comment. It's a flash in the pan and then gone. She doesn't remember her words five minutes after she speaks them. But those who are having trouble accepting the reality of her dementia will seize on these comments and say something like "see! She's still in there!" As though her brain is not failing, she's just playing possum. Sigh.

One thing to remember is that you have to judge your LO’s status on his worst day…not his best. You can be fooled over and over that ‘he’s really not that bad’ and then the next behavior is off the charts strange and/or dangerous