Dementia & Sexual Misbehavior

Dementia & Sexual Misbehavior

Dementia is a set of symptoms primarily associated with memory loss. The patient often experiences difficulty with thinking and may have a problem in using the right words to express themselves or understand others. The primary cause of dementia is believed to be damage to the brain by certain diseases that progressively attack brain cells and connections, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, or Parkinson’s disease. When memory loss or dementia occurs, life seems more challenging than ever, changing your perceptions about life’s priorities and relationships.
Dementia Symptoms may include:

• Difficulty performing regular tasks.

• Frequent memory loss.

• Problems with language.

• Misplacing things.

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  Impaired judgment.

• Mood/behavioral changes.

• Problems with abstract thinking.

• Personality change.

• Disorientation to time and place.

• Loss of sexual desire (Libido Boosters) or intimacy.

• More interest in sex.

• Inappropriate sexual preoccupation and comments.

• Sexual misconduct.

Dementia & Sex

Though genetics may increase the risk of dementia, the prime factors that can contribute to the diseased state include a combination of lifestyle, environmental, and hereditary (Hereditary Wiki Page) factors. In severe dementia cases, the affected individual may exhibit bizarre nature of their behavior in public, subjecting their loved ones to public humiliation.
The brain is the control center of your emotions, sexual feelings, and inhibitions. When a person suffers from dementia, they may experience an unpredictable change in their emotions and sexual feelings. Such persons may experience any of the following dementia symptoms, depending on the part of the brain that has been damaged:

• More/less interest in sex (These Kill Your Sex Life).

• No interest in sex.

• Change in sexual behavior (Low Sex Drive? Dr. Elist discusses) and manners.

• Change in ability to perform sexually (Performance Anxiety).

When dementia affects sexual life (Sexuality and Spirituality), it may be extremely challenging for the partner to deal with the behavioral changes. While some couples adapt to these changes fairly easily, others may feel varying degrees of anxiety, embarrassment, anger, or frustration.
 

Dealing With Dementia

Dealing with dementia is a challenge, knowing the dementia symptoms at an early stage can help ease your journey:

• Take care of yourself emotionally.

• Turn to your partner or close family members for emotional support.

• Join a dementia support group.

• Create a dementia-friendly environment.

• Look for treatment for the symptoms of the disease, such as sleeping problems, depression, which cake the symptoms of dementia worse.

• Take part in activities as a couple to focus on the need for strong relationships.

As a partner, it’s important to give your loved one suffering from the disorder plenty of reassurance and affection. It will help to be proactive in finding ways to be intimate with each other.  If possible, stay in the same room and sleep on the same bed to give the patient company as moving to another room can prove to be distressing or disorienting for the patient.
When dealing with inappropriate behavior of the person in public, you should be polite but firm with your loved one, courteously telling them that their action isn’t suitable. If you are unable to change their focus to another activity, take them away from the situation. It is understood that caregivers and partners may feel embarrassed or even frustrated at times, but you should stay calm and make every effort not to get angry with your loved one who is fighting dementia.