

Children are frequent visitors to care homes, often visiting relatives, and communication comes naturally to them. Don’t talk about them to someone else in front of them.Don’t remind people with dementia of the death of a loved one or pet.Idioms with a synonymous meaning go nuts / lose the plot or lose your mind / lose it / to get your wires crossed / go bananas / lose your marbles / go stark raving mad / go off your rocker / take leave of your senses / freak out.

Kate Swaffer, who has written about her own journey with dementia, has a few more tips on her blog: Meaning (1) to go crazy, to lose reason, to go insane / to go mad with anger Example Sentence Tom said that the boss went nuts when he asked for a raise. And don’t patronise people, by calling them “love”, “dear” or any other term of endearment. If they talk about their deceased wife as if she’s still alive, go with the flow and turn it into a chat. He started off saying I am losing my marbles here My youngest son will be graduating high school soon and off to college in a couple of months. Instead, let them take the lead and don’t be afraid to enter into their universe. From World Wide Words : The earliest example given in the standard references is from It’s Up to You A Story of Domestic Bliss, by George V Hobart, dated 1902: I see-sawed back and forth between Clara J. Asking someone with dementia seemingly basic questions such as where they live, where they were born or whether they’re married can cause them a lot of distress if they can’t remember. Therefore, to lose one’s marbles means to lose your stuff, or, idomatically, to lose one’s mind. If himbossfirst random lose ones head, can be imagined, your subordinate. ‘Where are you from, love?’īeware of apparently friendly conversation. Meaning of word lose ones marbleslose ones marble in English Dictionary go. Not only is there lots going in that brain, but this makes the assumption that people living with dementia can’t feel pain or emotion. ‘She’s an empty shell’Īctually, she isn’t. Instead of describing someone as a “dementia sufferer” or “dementia patient”, try using “person with dementia” or, better still, “person living with dementia”. If someone loses their marbles, they become mentally confused.

Of course they suffer at times, but they don’t want dementia to define them. If you say that somebody has bats in the belfry, you mean that they are eccentric or. ‘How long has he been suffering from dementia?’ Is this a kind thing to say about someone who is experiencing memory loss, confusion and personality change? For the same reason, words like “dippy”, “mad” and “demented” are offensive. ‘He’s losing his marbles’Īgain, this is considered a lighthearted remark, but put yourself in that person’s position. Other similar words to avoid are “poor feeders” and “wetters”. It may seem an innocuous word but it’s a label and, as such, is disrespectful, because it totalises the person being talked about. All the more reason to equip ourselves with the right vocabulary in the first place. People with dementia don’t always have the ability to make witty comebacks to a “sticks and stones” remark.
