Teaching Now Living: Part 10 –The Filter is Gone

Even early in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease the vocal filter may falter or even disappear. Recently after a church service had dispersed, an old friend of Ellie’s came up to her. She told Ellie that a mutual friend of theirs had passed away just yesterday. Ellie replied without hesitation, “Well she is dead, I don’t need to go to the funeral.” In the past, she would have never said anything like this and instead would’ve offered to help make food for the grieving family or show sympathy in a different manor. Another example is her new public habit. When she is out and Ellie sees someone who is overweight she will comment with something like, “Look how big that person is, someone should glue their mouth shut.” It is as if an internal filter on what's polite behavior or not is turned off.

Tip: Carry cards that you can hand out to strangers explaining that your loved one has dementia and it is not them talking, it is the disease.

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