A few years ago, Wednesday Group member Anita began to tell staff that her family were keeping her away from her lifetime friends and were planning to ‘get rid of her’. From what staff knew of her family, that seemed very unlikely but she was clearly distressed and regularly told variations of this story.
Chatting to her son one day, when he came to collect her, staff told him about Anita’s concerns. “I don’t know where she gets the idea we’re trying to get rid of her from,” he said, “but it’s true her friends stay away. I just think they don’t know what to say to her. She comes out with such silly things.”
They talked about her inability to understand what people were saying to her; how frightening and confusing that must be and how, in those circumstances, it would be easy to think information was being deliberately withheld. Anita was convinced some kind of plot was being hatched.
Seen from the person with dementia’s point of view, strange behaviour is often easier to understand and the better we understand it, the easier it is to accept and sympathise.
If you care for someone with dementia or you yourself have a diagnosis, or you just want to know more and you think the Wednesday Group might be helpful, do get in touch.
For more information, contact Jan on 01777 709974 or 07969 180067 or email janwilliamson133@gmail.com for the latest on what the group is doing and current availability. There is sometimes a waiting list but not very often, and although they charge £10.00 per session to cover costs, that includes your lunch and your first visit is free.