Carers UK Forum

As my caree's range of vocabulary slowly erodes through the onset of early dementia, rather than correct it every time she finds the word nearest to the one she's looking for, I've found it more amenable for both of us, for me to go along with her mind's chosen reference point.

Example:

Zimmer Frame = Tractor

A sort of mutual Esperanto if you like, which while nobody else can understand it, we certainly both can !

Has anyone else adopted this technique to save time, temper and trauma ? Does anyone else have alternate words in common usage between carer/caree to describe everyday objects/activities ?

Looking back I think the first word my Mum forgot was Meringues. She loved them and we used to buy them on most shopping trips and she would have them with fruit and yoghourt.

One day I was doing her list and she just said she wanted “those white things” and never again did she use the word meringue.

As her dementia worsened more and more words were lost and I do remember that she called her Zimmer her “pusher” and she never could remember what her stoma bags were called - she called them “those things I use”. Obviously that could have been anything but I knew what she meant.