Answer:
Alzheimer’s disease can devastate a person’s ability to socialize, but being among other people is incredibly important for our loved ones with Alzheimer’s or related dementia. Social interaction is healthy, like exercise for the brain, and can slow symptoms including deteriorating memory. In fact, staying socially engaged with friends and family has been shown to boost self-esteem, which for people with dementia means better eating habits, more exercise, and better sleep.
Think of interaction as a challenge. Your loved one may understandably want to be alone because thinking has become difficult, especially in middle stages of dementia, but getting out and carrying on conversations forces the brain to be active. Someone with dementia might spend time daydreaming, inside their own head, and this internal place can become too comfortable. Being able to transition from inside to outside the mind, from daydreaming to speaking with another person, is an important skill to maintain. Socialization achieves this as well.
Human interaction also grounds a person in the present. Someone with dementia is prone to losing track of time and setting, perhaps not even knowing what’s happening in front of their eyes. Social contact can maintain a sense of reality.
And humans are social creatures! Being with each other to talk and share experiences nurtures the soul. Feeling a sense of belonging is, of course, better than feeling alone.
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