Do people ever experience a positive change in their personality when they develop Alzheimer’s?
This is a difficult question to answer. Dementia has been known to diminish certain, pathological, personality traits and behaviors that were particularly harmful or abusive in the past. However, this is not true for all people with dementia, and this type of change is seen most often in individuals who have been diagnosed with a substance abuse problem or a personality disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In these scenarios, individuals who were once crass and violent seem to become more affectionate and contented with their lives as the disease progresses.
The families of these individuals have often claimed that they and their loved one were “blessed” by Alzheimer’s. In one such family the husband reported that, after being married to his alcoholic wife for 55 years, she was diagnosed with dementia and, subsequently, he noticed a positive change in their relationship and their family life. The husband noticed that, as the disease progressed, his wife seemed to simply forget about drinking. Without the chronic compulsion to consume alcohol, he noticed that his once-estranged children began paying more frequent visits to their home. The children said that their mother had become a warmer and more amiable person than they had ever known her to be during their childhood. Her husband was pleasantly surprised to rediscover his wife’s charming sense of humor and was very grateful for the opportunity to become reacquainted with his wife who had, for so long, seemed like a stranger consumed by an alcohol-induced haze. The husband and wife lived together in their family home until she eventually passed away. The husband, despite the tragedy of disease and death, looked back fondly on those years of relative clarity in their relationship.
While this man’s story was truly a blessing in disguise, it is not characteristic of all dementia cases. Maintain a strong sense of hope and optimism, but think carefully about your loved one’s needs.
For more information on Alzheimer’s, or any of your other Colorado elder law questions, click here to view our Wills and Trusts 101 seminar or call 303-758-0680 to get in touch with one of our Colorado probate attorneys.