Many dementia caregivers have experienced their loved one exhibiting unwanted and difficult behaviors, such as anxiety, wandering, delusions and others. You may also have noticed your loved one continually digging through cabinets, drawers or even trash cans. Along with this rummaging behavior, you’ve probably had to deal with your loved one accusing you of “stealing” because they’ve been taking things and hiding them – and then, of course, forgetting about it.
“While rummaging and hiding isn’t as immediately dangerous as behaviors like wandering, they are still upsetting behaviors that can result in injury and frustration,” says Erica Labb, Executive Director of Bridges® by EPOCH at Westford. “Although you logically understand that this is a symptom of the disease and not something your loved one is doing on purpose, it still gets frustrating for everyone involved.”
Erica says that understanding what is causing this behavior will help you better understand your loved one’s triggers and allows you to take steps to minimize situations and respond in the moment. “Knowing how to react in a positive way will make life less stressful and easier for both you and your loved one,” she says.
What Causes Rummaging and Hiding?
Dementias like Alzheimer’s disease affect short-term memory and critical thinking (among other things). This often manifests as repetitive behavior, such as asking the same question over and over. Rummaging is a form of repetitive behavior that is caused due to disorientation and the progression of the disease.
Just as with asking a question over and over, your loved one with dementia doesn’t understand he or she is doing the same thing that they just did a few minutes ago. Rummaging can occur because your loved one wants to make sure certain items are “still there,” or because they’re hungry, or because they have a desire to be helpful or a multitude of other reasons. It could also be that they are fearful or insecure, and rummaging helps give them comfort through familiar items.
Hiding items usually stems from a desire for security. Your loved one may start to hoard items because they are worried they will need those things someday. Or, they start hiding items because they want to keep them in a safe place so that no one will steal them. This is particularly common when individuals with dementia start to not recognize the people in their lives.
Instead of attempting to stop your loved one from rummaging through or hiding items (which can result in increased paranoia, agitation and stubbornness), it’s best to manage the behavior in safe ways. Here are different things you can do to help create a safe environment for your loved one, reduce the frustration caused by their behaviors and perhaps even reduce the frequency of their episodes.
How To Manage Rummaging and Hiding
1. Safety first.
One of the most immediate dangers of rummaging is your loved one accidentally hurting themselves on unsafe objects. He or she may not recognize that a knife is sharp and used for cutting, or they may think that a bottle of bleach is something to drink from. Make sure that things like knives, scissors, chemicals and other potentially dangerous items are out of sight, preferably in a locked cabinet. Another thing that can potentially be dangerous is food, since people with dementia may not be able to recognize when food is spoiled or unsafe to eat. Make sure to regularly go through your supplies and clear out expired food. Make sure that raw meat is either stored in a hard-to-get-to place for your loved one, or is cooked fairly quickly after purchase.
2. Protect anything valuable or important.
While it’s not uncommon for seniors with dementia to hide what you would consider to be useless things, it can be a problem if they lose (or destroy) something precious or misplace your identification documents. Some people even end up hiding or destroying mail that comes to the house. The best thing to do is to make sure anything that’s important or valuable is locked away in a safe place so your loved one doesn’t hide them or accidentally destroy them. If you don’t want to use a safe deposit box, invest in a secure safe that’s easy for you to get to. You can also replace commonly rummaged-through or hidden items with fakes or lookalikes so your loved one doesn’t realize they are gone.
3. Understand what triggers them.
While you can’t always predict when a loved one is going to rummage or hide items, you may start noticing that it happens on a somewhat regular basis. Perhaps it’s when they’re bored, hungry or if their routine has been thrown out of whack. Look at the behavior with a holistic view and try and see if you can figure out a pattern of what’s causing them to act in a particular way. This can help you preempt the behavior.
4. Make backups.
If your loved one hides a certain singular item regularly, it’s a good idea to get copies or similar-looking items so you can help them “find” it when they’re looking for it (or, in the case of things like car keys, you always have a backup). Commonly hidden items can be things like keys, glasses, purses, wallets and other useful, everyday items.
5. Reduce anxiety and stress for your loved one.
Rummaging and hiding are often a response for your loved one feeling anxious, agitated or unsafe. If you notice that your loved one is acting anxious or frantic, it’s a good idea to try and reduce their overall anxiety level. This is actually a good idea overall – reducing stress and anxiety and helping your loved one feel secure will help reduce other unwanted behaviors, too.
6. Reduce boredom.
As with many unwanted behaviors, rummaging and hiding can be due to your loved one feeling bored or lonely. Be sure that you have plenty of stimulating activities for your loved one during the day and make sure that he or she is getting enough personal interaction. Coloring, listening to music and simple puzzles are all good, no-fail activities that are stimulating and enjoyable for people with dementia.
7. Give them something productive to do.
Rummaging and even hiding can be caused because your loved one wants to help out and feel productive. In this case, providing alternate, simple tasks are a great way to help them feel productive. Folding napkins, sorting silverware or even simple organization of a safe junk drawer can be good for them. The trick is to find something that doesn’t have to be done correctly but will help your loved one feel fulfilled and like they’re helping.
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