But when that happens never tell them you don’t understand them just keep pretending you do

I use to keep a white board in my Mom's room (nursing home) listing her words and their translations so her nursing staff would know her language. With patience i could usually figure out what she meant by repeating her word and asking if she meant the word i thought she meant. She could usually recognize the word when i said it but continued to use her own word. Once i knew her language we were able to have more conversation and the staff, who didn't have that much time, appreciated the dictionary on the white board.

My Mom’s neurologist told me that often people with ALZ will reach for a certain word in their brain and instead grab one that is “close by” - my Mom will say boy instead of girl or happy instead of sad. Sometimes, the words are mixed up in a category - misnaming vegetables or fruit, but sometimes they are words that sound like other words - she has been singing Here Comes Sanat Claus and Santa apparently has a reindeer named “Nixon” now! I stopped correcting her years ago - she still, however, is at a stage that she can still laugh when she recognizes that she made a mistake. It is always an adventure!

My father was reduced to YEP and Nope answers to ANY question...just doing his best to communicate. Go with it.

@A myALZteam Member I love "Nixon" the reindeer!

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