Dementia is a syndrome characterized by a decline in memory, problem-solving, communication skills, and other thinking abilities. As the condition progresses, people with dementia often exhibit behavioral changes that can be challenging for caregivers. One common behavior change is increased clinginess, where the person constantly seeks attention and reassurance from caregivers. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons behind this clingy behavior and strategies for coping with it compassionately.
What causes dementia patients to become clingy?
There are a few key factors that can prompt clingy behavior in someone with dementia:
- Memory loss – As their memory declines, dementia patients become increasingly reliant on caregivers to orient them. They may constantly ask questions or want caregivers close by for reassurance.
- Confusion and disorientation – Dementia disrupts the brain’s ability to make sense of environments and social cues. Patients can become confused about where they are or who people are, making them anxious and prone to sticking close to caregivers.
- Communication challenges – Expressing needs becomes difficult for dementia patients as their language skills deteriorate. Clinginess may be an attempt to get needs met through nonverbal cues and proximity.
- Personality changes – The areas of the brain affected by dementia shape personality and inhibition. As they deteriorate, patients may exhibit uncharacteristic clingy behavior.
- Sundowning – Increased agitation, confusion, and other dementia symptoms in the late afternoon and evening can make patients especially clingy during those times.
- Regression – As dementia progresses, patients lose abilities gained later in life and revert to more childlike behaviors, like clinging, for comfort and security.
Signs of clingy behavior
How can you identify clinginess in someone with dementia? Here are some common signs:
- Following or clinging physically to caregivers
- Demanding constant attention and reassurance
- Becoming upset or agitated when caregivers pull away
- Exhibiting separation anxiety when caregivers leave the room
- Repeating questions frequently
- Having difficulty being alone
- Displaying Velcro-like attachment behaviors like grasping or grabbing
- Wanting physical closeness like hand-holding
Coping strategies
Clinginess stemming from dementia can be frustrating and stressful for caregivers. But there are compassionate ways to manage this behavior:
- Provide calming reassurance – Offer verbal and physical reassurance to help reduce anxiety. Remind them of your care commitment.
- Engage in calming activities – Do a simple craft, look at photos, sing – this can distract from clinginess.
- Provide comfort items – Give the person a treasured object like a blanket or stuffed animal to help them self-soothe.
- Use memory aids – Notes, schedules, photos and other prompts can help orient patients and ease clinginess.
- Distract during care tasks – Chat about a favorite topic or play music to shift focus when you need to pull away temporarily.
- Validate feelings – Acknowledge their fear or anxiety. Say “I know you feel worried when I leave – I’ll be right back.”
- Involve in activities – Keep their hands occupied with folding laundry or other tasks they can do with you.
- Get outside help – In-home respite care or adult day services can provide companionship and give family caregivers a break.
- Consider medications – For severe clinginess causing safety issues or severe distress, a doctor may prescribe medication like an antidepressant.
When to seek medical advice
It’s normal for dementia patients to exhibit some clinginess. But contact a doctor if clinginess becomes:
- A constant, unrelenting behavior throughout the day
- Potentially unsafe – like trying to follow the caregiver out the door
- Accompanied by significant agitation or emotional distress
- Disruptive to providing necessary care
- Unmanageable despite coping strategies
This level of clinginess may require medical interventions like:
- Medication adjustment
- New medications to treat anxiety or depression
- Referral to a specialist like a geriatric psychiatrist
- Evaluation for uncontrolled pain that may be causing discomfort
The takeaway
Mild clinginess is common as dementia progresses. With understanding of the causes and gentle, consistent management, families can find ways to cope. But severe clinginess can be exhausting and unsafe. Seek help from the doctor if clingy behaviors become unmanageable or pose too much strain on caregivers.
With compassion and patience, caregivers can ease clinginess and provide a reassuring presence for dementia patients experiencing profound disorientation and fear. Despite the challenges, making someone feel safe and comforted remains a gift as dementia slowly takes its toll.
Clinginess arises from a place of vulnerability and need. Responding with empathy and compassion, not frustration, benefits both dementia patients and their caregivers.
Though difficult at times, remembering the person within who only wishes for comfort can guide families to respond in a sensitive way as dementia relentlessly progresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do dementia patients cling?
Dementia patients often become clingy due to memory loss, confusion, communication challenges, personality changes, and regression. The disease disrupts critical thinking skills and makes patients anxious, prompting them to cling to caregivers for reassurance and stability.
How do you get a dementia patient to stop following you?
To get a dementia patient to stop following you constantly:
- Provide reassurance and remind them you are near
- Engage them in a distracting activity
- Give them comfort items like a blanket or stuffed animal
- Validate their feelings of fear or anxiety
- Involve them in tasks they can do alongside you
With patience and compassion, you can ease their clinginess without further distress.
Is it normal for dementia patients to be clingy?
Yes, it is very common for dementia patients to become clingy and exhibit attachment behaviors as the disease progresses. Their increasing confusion, memory loss, and personality changes often make them prone to sticking close to caregivers for comfort and stability. Mild clinginess is normal but extreme clinginess may require medical intervention.
What helps a clingy dementia patient?
Some ways to help a clingy dementia patient include:
- Providing consistent reassurance and reminding them you are near
- Engaging them in distracting activities like looking at photos or folding laundry
- Giving comfort items like blankets or stuffed animals
- Validating their feelings of fear and anxiety
- Using memory aids like schedules and notes to help orient them
- Getting outside respite care to give family caregivers a break
With compassion and patience, you can ease their clinginess and keep them feeling safe.
When should you call a doctor about clinginess?
Call a doctor if the dementia patient’s clingy behavior becomes constant and disruptive throughout the day, unsafe, accompanied by significant distress, interferes with providing care, or does not improve with coping strategies. At this stage, medications or other medical interventions may be needed.
Conclusion
Clinginess is a common symptom as dementia progresses, arising from factors like memory loss, confusion, and personality changes. Mild clinginess can be managed with compassionate strategies like distraction, comfort items, and reassurance. But severe, constant clinginess requires medical advice to explore interventions like medication that may provide relief. With understanding and empathy for the deep vulnerability behind it, families can support dementia patients through clingy behaviors while getting help when needed.