How Do People with Dementia Say 'It Hurts'?

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How Do People with Dementia Say 'It Hurts'?

(Source: Digital Journal) - Pain often goes undetected in people with

dementia when they can no longer express themselves clearly. Loved-

ones and caregivers should look for signs that indicate pain may be

an issue.

" When someone's character suddenly changes, for example, they become

aggressive, scream or begin making defensive motions with their

hands, this often is an indication of pain, " said Rolf Dieter Hirsch

of the German Academy for Gerontological Psychiatry. If a person with

dementia has a toothache, they may refuse food by clamping their jaws

together or an otherwise mobile patient, who suddenly avoids

movement, could have a fracture. Other things to watch out for are

problems when urinating and constant scratching.

Loved-ones should not rely on the patient to express his or her pain

through facial expressions. Some dementia patients show no emotion,

Hirsch said. In addition not every affliction is expressed through

pain, adding that their perception of pain is " completely distorted. "

Whenever pain, unexplained discomfort or behavior is noted, contact

your doctor.

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