Disorientation and Alzheimers disease in the home

Disorientation inside the home can eventually become a problem though not until much later in the disease.

This is why it's so important that absolutely nothing is moved or changed around in the home of someone who is suffering from Alzheimers disease. Moving furniture or their own items disorientates them and makes their confusion worse.

Sameness and continuity are important to the person suffering from Alzheimers disease. If their routine continues undisturbed, they will remain continent, eat, go to bed or put the television on because this is a familiar pattern to them.

It's a well known fact by carers and professionals that Alzheimer sufferers are much happier in their own environment for as long as it is possible to keep them there. Once they are moved to a strange environment their acute confusion becomes much worse and more apparent to often distressed relatives and friends.

A classic example of Alzheimer sufferers being moved to another environment is if they are admitted to hospital. Because this is such a busy bustling environment, their confusion and disorientation becomes frighteningly apparent.

Many carers and friends think it is the fault of the hospital that their relative or friend appears so different, but it's usually because the Alzheimer sufferer has been able to disguise their waning cognitive skills by embracing their familiar comfortable environment. It's only when they are "torn" from it that problems become apparent. They often become incontinent, refuse to eat, and become tearful and depressed.

This is why admitting someone with Alzheimers disease to hospital should only be done as a last resort; otherwise they run the risk of being deprived of their last precarious hold on reality and independence.

An Alzheimers sufferer assessed in a hospital environment making a cup of tea, or performing other tasks would probably perform terribly, yet if asked to perform that same task at home would probably do moderately well.

This is because they have slotted back into their own comfortable routine, and is why home visits for people suffering from Alzheimers are so important after they have been admitted to hospital to ensure they are not being assessed wrongly and placed in an inappropriate environment.

Alzheimer's Disease Guide

Alzheimers Disease
History of Alzheimer's Disease
Types of Dementia
Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease
Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease
Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Memory loss in Alzheimers disease
Disorientation and Alzheimers Disease
Disorientation and Alzheimers disease in the home
Alzheimers Disease and Personality
Alzheimer’s disease and Communication
Alzheimer’s disease and sexual behaviour
Alzheimers disease and Risk
Sleep and Alzheimer Disease
Malnutrition and Alzheimer’s disease