To recognize World Alzheimer's Awareness Month in September, we have created a highly visual infographic that captures the nature of repetitive symptoms and their impact on the lives of people living with dementia. Repetitive symptoms are often misunderstood and create frustration and exhaustion for clients and their family/professional caregivers. It is important to remember that people with dementia cannot control their symptoms. The good news is that there are effective tools and approaches that can improve our understanding and response to repetitive symptoms. Read on to learn about the common triggers for repetitive symptoms and how they can be managed. We hope that this infographic provides innovative, practical approaches that improve quality of life for all involved in dementia care and support.

1. Learn how to respond: http://bit.ly/16kTtDZ
Repeating the same question, story or statement over and over
I want to
go home.
I want to
go home.
Where is
my purse?
Where is
my purse?
Where is
my purse?
What time
is it?What time
is it?
TAPPING FEET
BANGING
RUBBING HANDS
RUMMAGINGRUMMAGING
It is important to surround
yourself with people who
understand dementia. Your
support team can include a:
• Support Group
• Primary Doctor/Nurse Practitioner
• Dementia Specialist: Neurologist,
Geriatrician or Geriatric Psychiatrist
• Geriatric Care Manager or
Social Worker
• Rehab Professionals (PT/OT/Speech)
• Home Care
• Adult Day Care
• Develop a daily routine that honors
a person’s past routine, hobbies &
preferences
• Remove the person from stressful
situations
• Respond to emotions
• Divert attention to positive, familiar,
repetitive activities
• Offer reassurance
• Communicate effectively - make
eye contact, use gestures, and use
short simple phrases
• When starting a new medicine, people with
dementia should be monitored closely for benefits
and side effects.
• Side effects - if they occur - often happen quickly.
Benefits can take time to notice with some medicines.
• Response to medicine can vary from person to person.
• It is important to work with your healthcare team to
develop the best treatment plan for you or the person
you care about.
To learn more about medicines that can help,
visit: http://bit.ly/181PN6v
http://bit.ly/18VmuU3
http://bit.ly/143u1Pm
For more communication tips, visit: Support group search tools:
• DEMENTIA-SPECIFIC MEDICINES
• ANTIPSYCHOTICS
• ANTI-ANXIETY
• ANTI-CONVULSANTS
• ANTIDEPRESSANTS
© 2013 Griswold International, LLC
brought to you by:
© 2013 Griswold International, LLC
GriswoldHomeCare.com
http://bit.ly/181PN6v
© 2013 Griswold International, LLC© 2013 Griswold International, LLC
GriswoldHomeCare.com
Infographic design by Joe Carr and Mike Haldeman
The Many Forms of Dementia
Managing Repetitive Symptoms
IRREVERSIBLE
CREATE YOUR PLAN
TYPES OF
MEDICATION
GET SUPPORT
Common Triggers for Challenging Symptoms
Managing Symptoms With Medicine
MEMORY
THINKING
ATTENTION/
CONCENTRATION
JUDGEMENT
LANGUAGE
PERCEPTION REASONING
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe
a set of symptoms that can include changes in:
LANGUAGE
PERCEPTIONPERCEPTIONPERCEPTION
…and must be severe enough to interfere
with a person’s ability to function.
n Alzheimer’s Disease
n Vascular Dementia
n Lewy Body Dementia
n Parkinson’s Disease
n Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
aka Mad Cow Disease
n Down Syndrome
n Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
n Huntington’s Disease
n Early Onset Dementia
n Mixed Dementia
n Korsakoff Syndrome
n AIDS Dementia Complex
n Dementia Pugilistica
n Medication Side Effects
n Depression
n Infection
n Low Levels of Vitamin B-12
n Brain Tumors*
n Head or Brain Injury/Trauma*
n Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus*
(excess fluid on the brain)
n Posterior Cortical Atrophy,
aka Benson’s Syndrome*
(cell loss in back area of brain)
*Not Always Reversible
REVERSIBLE
Reversible dementia can improve
over time and/or with treatment.
Examples include:
Irreversible dementia will progress
over time and there is no cure.
Examples include:
COMMON TRIGGERS CHECKLIST:
PEOPLE OR ACTIONS THAT FRIGHTEN, ANNOY, THREATEN
OR CAUSE PAIN
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT THAT CAUSES DISCOMFORT
(HOT, COLD, NOISY, THREATENING)
TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE GOING ON
CLIENT DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING
UNMET PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL NEEDS (CLOTHES
DON’T FIT, VISION/HEARING CHALLENGES)
MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS
IDENTIFY
TRIGGERS
http://bit.ly/18cWfxn
THINGS
TO KNOW
Remember -- Repetitive symptoms can be frustrating
for the person with dementia and their family caregivers.
It is important to be empathetic and flexible. As speech
becomes more difficult, symptoms are often the only
way that a person with dementia can communicate.
REASONING
The following checklist can help you notice and respond to common triggers