I’ve found that asking patients with dementia an open, general question about their family is a useful way of better understanding their current cognitive state.
Recently, I was seeing a long-term patient with dementia. She’s lovely, happy. 1/
I know multiple family members.
So I ask, “How’s the family?”
She doesn’t respond, as if she didn’t even hear. Her face looked blank and she appeared to stare straight past me.
Slowly, and determinedly, she says “Get. In. The. Bin.” 2/
