Dementia Support Group

Hi! i've joined this group because my dad has dementia, probably alzheimer's but some kind of dementia. the thing that is really bothering me, aside from the fact that he is not like himself anymore is that he seems to be scared of everything. he won't even take a step to walk without being absolutely sure where he can plant his foot. he never used to be like that, always cautious, but he would move around much more freely and without hesitation. now, he just always seems so scared and nervous, even to the point of telling my mom and me that he's scared. is that just something with dementia or should i be a little more concerned?

btw, thanks for having this group, it helps to know that there are others out there going through this.

It can be with dementia, or it could be a vision thing (does he have any vision problems?) some people get extremely cautious or worried that they are going to fall especially if they can't tell exactly what they are stepping on. Often different colors or textures (even just a mat or changing flooring colors) look like a big hole to them and they WON'T step there or they treat it like stairs when it isn't.

If you can, it may help to keep the floor absolutely clear and minimize any sort of distracting color changes and try to think about it as if you had suddenly lost depth perception or something (since that may be exactly what has happened). A visit to the eye doctor might not hurt either just to rule out any vision changes.

My Grandma had lots of trouble with this sort of stuff since she had macular degeneration, so she could never see where she was going, only peripheral stuff. After her vision got bad enough we didn't have to worry as much about colors and things, then it was just safety issues because she was pretty much blind.

Oh, I forgot to say welcome to the group! I hope that you like it here and find it helpful.

Mary, thanks for the info and the welcome. it is helpful and nice to know that other people go through some of the same things and i really appreciate people who start/lead groups like this so we can share info.