David Gray Project #4

Measurement of the Child Like Age of Adults with Dementia

Persons with dementia regresses. In addition to loss of memory, motor, language and thinking skills they exhibit child like behavior.

If we can measure the adult child age, we can construct appropriate activities. The also gives us a hint as to time left. Five year olds go to kindergarten, and play with other kids their own age.

Often they live completely in the NOW. like in Buddhism being one with the environment. But, living in fear with sense of paranoia without awareness of time or location and everything is unfamiliar, even though they have been there many times before. They can't read, write or do arithmetic or even carry on an intelligent conversation. For a 2 year old we want to hug cuddle them and have stupid disconnected conversations. A 4 year will be rebellious want to assert independence. The child age gives a clue as to how to related them as we send them off into the sunset of live.

Note: In the case of Alzheimer's, as the brain becomes filled with plaque bodily functions decline. We also see this in cancer patients with Glioma brain tumors having a similar effect.