When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, you might notice several behavioural changes that weren’t present before. Show timing is one of the lesser-known dementia symptoms, where a person displays lucid behaviour in front of medical professionals.
Knowing what show timing is and why it happens can help you better prepare for this symptom as you help your loved one navigate their evolving symptoms. Today, we’ll answer the question: What is show timing in dementia patients?
What Is Show Timing?
Show timing is a phenomenon where a person with dementia seemingly plays down their behaviours in front of medical professionals. The person may appear to ‘put on an act’ for a short period of time, where they don’t display symptoms of early-stage dementia.
Carers may think show timing is a deliberate tactic to confuse medical professionals, or it might be involuntary.
Show timing can be frustrating for carers and family members. Medical professionals might not be able to see the symptoms you’re describing, leading to a missed diagnosis and not getting the help you need. This can be particuarly distressing if you’re feeling carer fatigue or under pressure from your loved one’s evolving care needs.
Why Does Show Timing Happen?
There are several reasons why your loved one might be performing show time in front of certain people, such as:
- Embarrassment: They may not want to let their guard down in front of people they don’t know, such as medical professionals and distant relatives.
- Fear: Your loved one may be scared about the reality of getting a dementia diagnosis, using show timing to ignore the problem and continue living normally.
- Denial: They may cover up certain behaviours because they don’t want to believe that their symptoms are progressing, and accepting professional help would be accepting this.
- Adrenaline: People with dementia don’t always know they’re show timing; adrenaline could be causing their brain to act out ingrained behaviour and habits, unintentionally deceiving those around them.
How To Prevent Your Loved One Show Timing
Show timing can be exhausting for people with dementia and their loved ones. It can also delay a diagnosis and stop you from all getting the help you need. While there isn’t much you can do to prevent show timing, there are a few things to consider to avoids its repercussions.
Keep a Behaviour Log
Take notes of your loved one’s typical symptoms that may be helpful for a medical professional to know, so they can better understand the situation.
In this log, highlight:
- The date and time
- Their behaviours and symptoms
- How things change throughout the day
- Extra care needs these symptoms require
- How your loved one reacts
By keeping a detailed log, you’ll be able to show the medical professionals the truth of what you’re experiencing. They may recognise the show timing easier, helping you get sufficient help more efficiently.
Stay Calm
Show timing can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you’ve been waiting for an appointment to get a diagnosis for your loved one, only for it to be dismissed. However, it’s essential that you remain calm and remember that your loved one isn’t show timing to be difficult. They’re most likely scared, embarrassed or in denial.
When a carer is stressed, it can make the situation worse by agitating your loved one. This can make you feel like you’re not being listened to and start doubting yourself. However, remember that each time you calmly state your case to your loved one’s doctor, you’ll get closer to the end goal of a diagnosis.
Ask For Help
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be incredibly difficult and sometimes frustrating, especially if most of the responsibilities fall on you. Show timing is just one of the potential symptoms that may leave you feeling stressed, overwhelmed and isolated.
To prevent these negative feelings interfering with your daily routines, know when to ask for help. This could be from another loved one, professional carer, or peers who have gone through similar things.
Look for support in the following places:
- Family and friends: Set up a group chat with your loved one’s family and friends, create a list of responsibilities that you need help with, and create a schedule of who can do what. This should take some of the burden off your shoulders.
- Professional carers: Professional live-in and visiting carers can support you and your loved one by giving you some much needed respite and emotional support, all from the comfort of home.
- Support groups: Many communities run local meetings for families of individuals with dementia, where you can meet people who are experiencing the same things you are and offer advice on how to deal with show timing and other challenging behaviours.
Consider Your Loved One’s Perspective
When you’re dealing with so much responsibility, it can be difficult to understand why your loved one is acting the way they are. Looking at the situation from their perspective can give you more empathy and understanding as to why they are downplaying their symptoms.
You can also do this for other family members who are reluctant to accept your loved one’s symptoms. They may be afraid of their relationship changing and want to deny any changes they see. Viewing this from their perspective can help you support them through this difficult time, so they can help you with caring duties in the future.
Determining Your Loved One’s Mental Capacity
Mental capacity refers to your loved one’s ability to make informed decisions. Dementia often impacts mental capacity, affecting how they think and reason properly. This means that you may have to support them in making decisions, or make them for them if they lose all capacity.
A medical professional can carry out a formal assessment to determine whether they’re considered as lacking capacity.
If the doctor agrees with you that your loved one can no longer make choices that support their best interest, you may have to make these difficult decisions. This helps keep them safe and prevents them from negatively affecting their health and well-being through poor decision-making.
How Trinity Homecare Can Help
At Trinity Homecare, we understand how difficult looking after a loved one with dementia can be. Our fully-trained, compassionate carers can support, whether you require regular respite visiting care for a well-deserved break, or more comprehensive, live-in care to fully manage your loved one’s needs.
When working with us, you can expect:
- One-to-one support at home
- Completely bespoke care that has been tailored to you
- Specialist care for a number of different circumstances
- Home carers carefully matched to your needs
- CQC rated ‘Outstanding’ live-in care services
We offer bespoke dementia care to individuals in all stages of the condition, supporting them through challenging symptoms such as show timing, shadowing, wandering and sundowning. Through all of our services, we prioritise independence and honour their dignity, helping individuals live life the way they want.
Talk To Us Today
At Trinity Homecare, our ultimate goal is to enrich your lifestyle in the comfort and familiarity of your own home. This allows you to live the independent lifestyle that you love without the daunting thought of moving into a care home. We are here to support you with various forms of live-in care.
Call us now on 0207 183 4884 in confidence for a free, no obligation quotation. If enquiring outside of our opening hours, please complete our online form and we will contact you the next day.
