(24 Dec 2021, 18:21 )Zooy Wrote: Of course it will depend on how far the dementia has advanced.
In this case:
Short term memory: mostly gone.
Sense of where she is: Still OK in the morning, gone in the evening.
Being in a lesser known place without one of her best known family members: panic.
Logic: still working.
Still commands the languages she has learned.
She can, with great difficulty, still be convinced of some things, but then only for a while. Like that she has Covid, but often keeps forgetting what that implies.
Sleeps OK, but with the aid of light sleeping pills.
Hence I think that some things might still be possible here, provided one has the proper techniques. Unfortunately I don't know how to make hypnosis files, or I would try it out myself.
And assuming that it would work to some extend, where to find good files?
Short term memory loss is likely to be the really big one. In Chinese there is a phrase called one ear in other ear out, mostly describes when you aren't focusing on the task or when scatterbrained you can forget what the instruction even is and that is for normal people. I suspect a dementia patient with a shot short term memory would have difficulty remembering long tasks. Indeed it has been an idea of mine to get one of those strap on fitness phone cases and use a phone like an external short term memory. Theoretically you might be able to convince them that the phone has what they care about on it.
I would suspect even if alzheimer is somewhat of a mystery that to her suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar area would be a terrifying experience. When I sometimes space out or just shamble onwards like a zombie only to reconnect with reality 5 to 10 minutes later I too get deeply confused for a moment, and I don't even have alzheimers.
Same thing with being convinced, if she could only be convinced for a short while it is likely she just forgot what you said and reverted back to what she believed previously. Like I said it might be an interesting idea to get her to trust a phone or device within close reach and use that as a sort of mental crutch. Like write that covid is a form of dangerous flu that means she needs to wear a mask.
