It is a fact well-known to all caregivers of someone with dementia that the condition is contagious.
This is not a medical fact but I don't know why it isn't.
You are most likely to catch dementia after two 24-hour shifts in an Alzheimer's care home.
Or after you just spent the weekend with your mother who does have dementia.
How do you know if you have caught dementia from someone you're looking after? Well, here's a little test for you.
Take a look at these ten statements and answer true or false to each.
The Dementia Test: 1.
People with dementia do things because they know it will drive you crazy; T/F? 2.
They stay awake at night so that you can't sleep; T/F? 3.
They could do better if they wanted to;T/F? 4.
They call you by someone else's name in order to hurt your feelings;T/F? 5.
They are revenge poopers;T/F? 6.
They hide things so they can accuse you of stealing them; T/F? 7.
They do too know what day it is, they just won't admit it; T/F? 8.
They pretend it's 1943 to drive you crazy;T/F? 9.
They know perfectly well their driving license has been taken away;T/F? 10.
They lie to their doctors to make you look stupid.
T/F? Okay, how many times did you say TRUE? Once? Twice? Five? All ten? If you didn't say TRUE once, then you're a caregiver who understand the basic facts of dementia.
If you scored any TRUE answers at all, you need time off and you may need to become more familiar with the mechanisms of dementia.
It's always a really good idea to learn about the disease you're dealing with.
That way, you won't confuse symptoms with human behaviors.
Especially your human behaviors.
Take a day off, or a week.