Your loved one seems clumsier lately. They bump into things, trip over things, drop things. Buttoning a shirt or zipping a jacket has gotten hard. Maybe you’ve noticed their walking has changed, and they’re shuffling their feet instead of lifting them.
These can all be signs of a symptom many people with dementia have: difficulty with proprioception.
It can be a dangerous symptom. But there are things we can do to help keep our loved ones safe.
What Is Proprioception?
It sounds very technical, but I promise it’s simple. Proprioception is your body’s ability to understand where it is in space. You may also hear it called body awareness.
It’s what allows us to walk around and move our arms and legs without having to look at them to know where they’re going. It’s what lets me pick up a water bottle and put it down without looking at it. It’s the reason I can close my eyes and touch my nose.
How Proprioception Problems Show Up in Dementia
Sometimes people with dementia lose their ability to understand where they are in space.
When that starts to happen, we notice problems with coordination, with balance, and with navigating and picking up things in their environment. You might see it when your loved one is getting dressed, or trying to move around the furniture.
It’s also one reason stairs can be so difficult for people with dementia, and why making sure the home is safe matters so much. Even carpets, throw rugs, dog toys or baby toys on the floor can be dangerous for someone who is struggling with proprioception.
6 Signs of Proprioception Loss in Dementia
If your loved one has these signs, or some of them, bring it up with their health care provider.
- Increased clumsiness. Tripping more often, bumping into objects, dropping things.
- Uncertain movements. They seem more timid and more hesitant about what they’re doing and about the next step they’re going to take.
- Difficulty with precision tasks. Fine motor skills like buttoning a shirt, putting on clothes or zipping a zipper.
- Changes in walking. Shuffling their feet, not picking up their feet, walking more slowly.
- Relying more on visual cues. They may look at their legs and feet as they move, to make up for not being quite sure where their legs are.
- Increased falls. This one is a big one.
If falls are what worry you most, I go through more of what can cause them in 7 reasons people with dementia fall.
What Helps When Someone With Dementia Has Proprioception Problems
If your loved one is having problems with proprioception, there are things that can be done.
Keep their health care provider informed
Like I said above, keep their health care provider up to date about the signs you’re seeing.
Get a home safety assessment
This one is super important. A home safety assessment is typically done by an occupational therapist, or sometimes a physical therapist. They go into the place where your loved one is living, look at the environment, and make recommendations to make it safer for someone with proprioception problems.
Simple recommendations might include:
- Installing grab bars in certain areas
- Securing rugs and carpets
- Rearranging furniture to make a clearer path
Use adaptive equipment
These are tools that make daily life easier for the person with dementia, like non-slip shoes and clothing that’s easier to put on and take off.
Try supervised balance exercises
This is another place where physical or occupational therapy comes in handy. A therapist can work on improving their proprioception with exercises targeted at balance.
Add cognitive and sensory activities
Things like chair yoga or even dancing help the person become more aware of their body. They also have the added benefit of stimulating their thinking, because they’re using their brain while they do them.
Get education and support
This is for you, the caregiver, especially. Depending on how advanced their dementia is, it can help the person with dementia too. It just helps to know why someone is starting to have problems in these areas.
Why It Helps to Know This Symptom Has a Name
Proprioception problems are a symptom that can happen in dementia. It’s not talked about a lot, but it’s very common.
Knowing where your body is in space is something we all take for granted. Seeing our loved ones struggle with it brings home just how important it is.
Keeping someone safe when their body isn’t doing what it used to is a lot to watch over, often every day. Inside the Care Collective, we talk through exactly these kinds of changes: what’s happening in the brain, what to do about it at home, and how to take care of yourself while you do. You can learn more here.
