My dad lives in memory care unit. He has advanced dementia. A female client there confuses my dad with her husband. She is frequently holding his hand or touching him in some way. One time she kissed him.
On another note, my dad flirts with all of the women in his unit (clients, caregivers etc). I observed him recently touching every woman that walked by- putting his hand on their arm or shaking hands etc. he doesn’t realize it’s not appropriate.
The staff tries to keep the one female client away from my dad but they can’t always be policing her.
Dad’s wife is so upset by this situation. She comes to visit and creates a scene upsetting everyone. She takes her frustrations out in the staff. Any suggestions?
My daughter will tell you this is very common. To the point that she had residents that thought they were married even though their spouses were visiting all the time. The brain is dying. He will eventually forget he has a wife. This is no reflection on his now wife. It happens and it will hurt her. But, she can't take it out on the staff. My daughter says her residents felt so strongly they were married that trying to separate them caused them to lash out.
People with dementia need to receive and give loving care too.