Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease
A neurological disease that affects memory and behaviour. It is characterized by beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. There is no known cause but genetics and lifestyle are thought to play a role. affects a person's ability to remember what has just happened and often leads to repetitive behavior. When the person you care for continuously repeats a motion such as tapping or pacing Pacing
Aimless wandering, often triggered by a feeling of pain or boredom or some distraction in the environment, such as noise, smell, or temperature., it may be because they are anxious, or that they are bored and require stimulation. Sometimes the person you care for may engage in a repetitive activity with a purpose such as packing and unpacking or continuously rearranging furniture. Often these repetitive behaviors are related to a former activity or occupation.

The person you care for may be disoriented or confused and they may engage in repetitive activities as a way to comfort or soothe themselves, particularly when they are agitated or distressed. For example, if they are concerned about their safety, they may be continually checking and rechecking locks and windows to reassure themselves. Alzheimer's disease can also affect a person's ability to stop a behaviour, causing them to repeat it.

Stereotyped and/or repetitive behaviors are common in frontotemporal dementia Frontotemporal dementia
A type of dementia that mainly affects the frontal lobe causing a problem in executive function tasks. as well. These can include re-reading the same book multiple times, hand rubbing and clapping, or humming one tune repeatedly. Again the need of the caregiver to intervene is best in matters of person's safety.

The first step in taking a more active role in managing symptoms is understanding how a symptom is affecting everyday life; the next step is communicating this knowledge to those involved in care planning such as your doctor and other family members. SymptomGuide^TM is designed with these goals in mind.

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