Dementia Nurse Realizes Why Patient Is Being Nice To Her, Gets Other Caregivers Sharing Cases Of Mistaken Identity

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jun 26, 2022 12:00 PM EDT

There are a myriad of ways in which getting old sucks, but top of the list has to be the looming risk of developing dementia. Life is hard enough when you have a vague idea what's going on, and losing that grip on reality is a hard time for both the sufferer and their caregivers alike.

It takes a special kind of patience to care for those with degenerative brain disorders, but thankfully there are people out there who step up to the job. However, it's not a role for the faint of heart — and can often involve plenty of mix ups and confusion from those who get cared for.

This was underlined by nurse aide Rebecca Scott earlier this month, who used TikTok to share how an often aggressive patient who responded well to her took a softer approach because he believed that she had Down's Syndrome. Fellow caregivers took to the comments to reveal humbling moments that they had also experienced. While these kinds of comments might come with the territory, there's no doubt that some of these stung.