When caring for a loved one with dementia, you’re often faced with situations that don’t seem logical; they’re far from “normal” and can be downright confusing. In fact, most lack “common sense” altogether… at least at face value. Working in the field, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that nothing is as it seems. Today, for the millionth time, it was reiterated by one of my favorite nonnos.

In the senior living world, the word investigation is part of our everyday vocabulary. Unusual behaviors? Investigate the unmet need. Frequent falls? Investigate environment, meds, and other risk factors. As time consuming as they can be, investigations are also super practical, especially when faced with puzzling scenarios. There’s a level of formality we associate with them that isn’t always necessary or applicable. Sometimes an open mind, creative thought, and a little digging are all you need.

There have been some concerns about the hygiene of the nonno I mentioned. Other residents have been complaining that he stinks and he always looks unkempt. Though in the earlier stages of dementia, he is fiercely independent and doesn’t let us help him with anything; we can’t so much as lay out his outfits in the morning without a fight. Oddly enough, when by the grace of God he lets us do routine skin checks, everything looks good. His hair and beard aren’t oily, either, but the odor he emits is pungent. He swears he showers regularly, but how could that be?!

Cue investigation mode. I thankfully have a good rapport with my sarcastic, headstrong love, so I felt comfortable being honest with our concerns (in an extremely kind, empathetic way, obviously). It was immediately apparent that his clothes were filthy. He admitted to keeping them on for a few days and thinking nothing of it, which is not uncommon with dementia. When I affectionately offered to pick out a fresh outfit for dinner, though, I discovered the most pressing issue: he has nothing to wear. Aside from a pair of cargo shorts and a ripped, medium-sized t-shirt in his closet (he’s an XXL), there was next to nothing to choose from. In his mind, however, that didn’t matter – he had clothes on his back and, thankfully for him, a poor sense of smell & self-awareness.

A pep talk, some hand-me-downs, and a phone call to his POA later, I left him with the agreement that he’d continue bathing regularly and change his clothes every day. I held my breath for the rest of the afternoon until I heard him roll out of the elevator. To my most pleasant surprise, he changed for dinner! Had we continued to take this situation at face value, I’m confident that it would’ve gone an entirely different route.

The fact that this nonno never mentioned his dilemma makes no sense, but with dementia, nothing does. Whether he was too embarrassed to bring it up or just flat out unbothered is irrelevant; what’s important is that we gave him the benefit of the doubt and dug deeper. We nixed face value and investigated, and I can confidently say we’re all better off for it.