Caring for a loved one with dementia requires patience and understanding in order to deal with the unexpected shifts brought about by cognitive decline.
Dementia is more than just memory loss. It’s a complex condition that progressively affects various aspects of a person’s life, including behavior, mood, and personality.
Hypersexual behavior is a behavioral symptom of dementia, not deliberate behavior. It can occur at any of dementia’s seven stages, but is most noticeable in the middle stages when people lose their ability to recognize social cues or appropriate behavior.
How Dementia Affects Behavior & Mood
Dementia is a term used to describe a range of neurological disorders that lead to the progressive degeneration of brain cells, resulting in cognitive decline. This deterioration impacts memory, reasoning, fine motor skills, and behavior.
Most notably, dementia is associated with forgetfulness and lapses in memory. Some amount of forgetfulness is a normal part of growing older, but what differentiates dementia from normal aging is how it disrupts daily life and reduces a person’s ability to perform routine activities.
Dementia also impacts people’s behavior, mood, and personality as a consequence of its effects on the brain’s frontal lobe. This impact on mood and behavior can manifest as anxiety, depression, apathy, or aggression, symptoms that can perplex family members as they work to navigate these ongoing changes.
While the mood swings and behavioral changes associated with dementia can be distressing, they’re a normal part of the disease’s progression. That’s why a loved one living with dementia may sometimes experience drastic changes in their demeanor and personality.
Dementia & Sexuality
Dementia can also cause changes in sexuality and intimacy. Changes in a person’s sexuality may feel like uncomfortable topics, but you can support your loved one better if you understand the changes that they’re experiencing.
One of these possible changes is the development of hypersexuality. Hypersexuality refers to increased sexual thoughts, urges, or behaviors, and can occur at any of the seven stages of dementia. However, it may be more noticeable in the middle stages (4 and 5), when loss of inhibitions and judgment occurs more frequently.
Hypersexuality might involve:
- Inappropriate touching
- Undressing in public
- Making sexually suggestive comments.
- Increased need for physical contact
- Fixation on sexual content
- Uncharacteristic advances towards others
Hypersexuality should be understood as a symptom rather than as a deliberate behavior. That’s because, as dementia progresses, people may lose their ability to recognize social cues or appropriate behavior, leading to out-of-character moments.
People exhibiting symptoms of hypersexuality often aren’t fully aware of their actions. Therefore, when they express hypersexual behavior, it’s not always a reflection of genuine sexual interest but rather a manifestation of ongoing behavioral changes.
Witnessing these behaviors may feel embarrassing or uncomfortable, and may also be difficult to respond to. Nonetheless, it’s important to respond to hypersexual behaviors with understanding and compassion. Focus on managing the situation rather than on blaming the individual.
This helps ensure that those living with dementia are treated with ongoing respect, while still addressing the needs of those affected by hypersexual behaviors.
Navigating Hypersexuality With Compassion
Caring for a loved one with dementia who’s showing signs of hypersexuality requires a thoughtful and empathetic approach.
Hypersexual behavior often doesn’t reflect a conscious desire for intimacy, but can be an expression of underlying needs for comfort, connection, or relayed confusion. The best approach to resolving this behavior is understanding the emotional and physical needs that may be driving it.
Here are some tips to help navigate and redirect this behavior:
- Remain Calm and Empathetic: Reacting with frustration or anger can exacerbate the situation. Approach the situation with calmness and empathy, which can help de-escalate any potential distress for the person with dementia and those around them.
- Redirect Attention: When inappropriate behaviors arise, gently direct that person’s attention to something different, like a calming activity. Encouraging them to partake in their favorite hobby, like music or art, helps shift focus away from hypersexual behavior.
- Create a Routine: People with dementia respond well to the structure and stability of a predictable daily routine. This can help reduce anxiety and the incidence of hypersexual behaviors.
- Modify the Environment: Create a comfortable and safe environment for your loved one. Remove any explicit materials and tailor their surroundings to reduce any triggers that may provoke inappropriate behaviors.
- Use Positive Reinforcement: Acknowledge and reinforce positive behaviors with gentle encouragement. Celebrating moments when your loved one engages appropriately can motivate them to repeat good behavior.
- Seek Professional Guidance: Sometimes professional intervention is necessary. Consult with healthcare providers to explore therapeutic options that may help in managing hypersexuality. These professionals can offer strategies specific to your loved one’s needs.
When to Consider Memory Care
Navigating the complex behavioral needs of a loved one with dementia requires compassion, patience, and ongoing attention. It can be a lot of responsibility for one person to handle.
Memory care offers specialized support in an environment tailored to address the unique concerns of those with dementia, including managing behaviors like hypersexuality.
Our staff are trained to understand the complexities of dementia. They’re also equipped with the strategies and knowledge needed to effectively handle these challenging behaviors with compassion. The environment in memory care is designed to provide ongoing safety, including reducing triggers that may lead to behavioral outbursts.
Schedule a Tour
Recognizing why dementia can lead to hypersexuality is necessary to provide compassionate care. Understanding these behaviors as symptoms rather than deliberate behavior is the first step to management.
Memory care is equipped with knowledge and professional support that help navigate these behaviors. Connect with our team at Inspired Living at Hidden Lakes to schedule a tour of our memory care community.
