Dementia Care Glossary: Terms Caregivers Hear

Agitation: Restlessness, irritability, pacing, raised voices or physical tension in a person living with dementia. It is often a response to something: pain, fear, overstimulation, boredom or an unmet need. See dementia agitation.
Alzheimer's disease: The most common cause of dementia. A progressive brain disease that gradually affects memory, thinking, behavior and, over time, the ability to carry out everyday tasks.
Anosognosia: A lack of awareness of one's own condition, caused by changes in the brain rather than by denial. A person with anosognosia may sincerely believe nothing is wrong, which is one reason arguing about memory problems rarely helps.
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (also: BPSD, Neuropsychiatric symptoms): The umbrella term clinicians use for non-memory symptoms of dementia, including agitation, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, wandering, hallucinations and sundowning.
Caregiver burnout (also: Caregiver stress, Caregiver burden): Physical, emotional and mental exhaustion from the ongoing demands of caring for someone. Common signs include constant fatigue, irritability, poor sleep and withdrawing from others. See caregiver burnout.
Circadian rhythm (also: Body clock): The body's roughly 24-hour internal clock that regulates sleep, alertness and hormones. Dementia can disrupt it, which is one of the leading explanations for sundowning.
De-escalation: Calming a distressed or agitated person by lowering the emotional temperature: a calm voice, validation, fewer demands and gentle redirection, rather than confrontation or correction. See how to calm sundowning.
Delirium: A sudden change in attention and awareness that develops over hours or days, often caused by infection, dehydration, medication or illness. It is a medical emergency, and is different from sundowning. See sundowning vs. delirium.
Dementia: An umbrella term for a decline in memory, thinking and reasoning severe enough to interfere with daily life. It has many causes, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular disease, Lewy body disease and frontotemporal degeneration.
Exit-seeking: Repeated attempts to leave a home or care setting, often driven by a wish to "go home", get to work or collect children. See when someone with dementia wants to go home.
Frontotemporal dementia (also: FTD): A group of dementias caused by damage to the brain's frontal and temporal lobes. It often begins with changes in personality, behavior or language rather than memory, and tends to start at a younger age than Alzheimer's.
Lewy body dementia (also: Dementia with Lewy bodies): A form of dementia linked to abnormal protein deposits in the brain. It commonly involves fluctuating alertness, visual hallucinations, sleep disturbances and movement symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.
Memory care: Specialized residential care for people living with dementia, with secure environments, structured routines and staff trained in dementia care. See Hamton for care facilities.
Mild cognitive impairment (also: MCI): Noticeable changes in memory or thinking that are greater than normal aging but not severe enough to interfere significantly with daily life. Some people with MCI go on to develop dementia; others do not.
Non-pharmacological intervention (also: Non-drug approach): Any approach to dementia symptoms that does not involve medication, such as routine, light exposure, activity, validation, reminiscence and redirection. Guidance generally recommends trying these first for behavioral symptoms.
Person-centered care: Care organized around the individual's history, preferences, relationships and remaining abilities rather than around their diagnosis or the convenience of the care setting.
Redirection: Gently shifting a person's attention from a distressing thought or activity to something calmer or more pleasant, usually after first acknowledging how they feel. See how to talk to someone with dementia.
Reminiscence therapy: Using familiar memories, photos, music and objects to prompt conversation about the past. It can comfort, reduce distress and help a person feel connected. See reminiscence therapy for dementia.
Respite care: Short-term care that gives a regular caregiver a break, from a few hours of in-home help to a short stay in a care home. See caregiver burnout.
Shadowing: When a person with dementia follows their caregiver closely from room to room, often because the caregiver is their main source of security. It tends to increase with anxiety and in the late day.
Sundowning (also: Sundown syndrome, Sundowners syndrome, Late-day confusion): Increased confusion, anxiety and agitation from late afternoon into the night in people living with dementia. It is a pattern of symptoms rather than a separate disease. See what is sundowning.
Validation therapy (also: Validation): An approach developed by Naomi Feil that accepts the emotional reality of a person with dementia instead of correcting facts, responding to the feeling behind what they say. See validation therapy for dementia.
Vascular dementia: Dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, for example after strokes or from disease of small blood vessels. Symptoms often progress in steps rather than steadily.
Wandering: Moving about, or leaving, in a way that can put a person with dementia at risk of getting lost or hurt. It often has a purpose from the person's point of view. See dementia wandering.

Looking for practical help? Browse sundowning guides and dementia care guides.

Dementia care terms, in plain language.

When the evening starts to slip, have a familiar voice ready