Rummaging behavior is a common action in individuals living with dementia. It involves repeatedly searching through items, often including sorting, moving, or hoarding objects. Understanding this behavior helps caregivers and family members respond with compassion and implement supportive strategies.
What Rummaging Entails and Why It Occurs
Rummaging can present in various ways, such as repetitively going through drawers, closets, or trash cans. Individuals might pull out and sort items, move objects, or continuously search for something that may not exist. This behavior often appears urgent or agitated, though it can also be a calming activity.
Several factors contribute to rummaging. Memory loss plays a role, as individuals may misplace items or search for something they cannot articulate. Rummaging can also serve as a coping mechanism for uneasiness, loneliness, or boredom, providing a sense of purpose. It can also express emotions like anxiety or frustration, or seek sensory stimulation.
Individuals accustomed to being busy may rummage to feel useful or engaged. The behavior can also be an attempt to retrieve past memories or find familiar objects that offer reassurance. Sometimes, it stems from unmet basic needs like hunger, even if the person cannot express it directly.
When Rummaging Appears in Dementia Progression
Rummaging commonly emerges during the middle stages of dementia, though its onset and intensity vary among individuals. During this period, cognitive decline becomes more pronounced, leading to increased memory problems, confusion, and communication difficulties. Individuals in the middle stage may struggle to understand their environment, leading to restlessness or agitation that can manifest as rummaging.
This stage is often the longest, and rummaging can intensify as the disease progresses. While early signs of disorganization might appear in earlier stages, persistent and purposeful searching becomes more evident in the middle stages. Individuals may forget recent events or where they placed items, prompting extensive searching.
Later in the progression, rummaging might become less purposeful, evolving into more repetitive actions. The behavior reflects increasing disorientation and an attempt to make sense of a confusing world.
Strategies for Managing Rummaging
It is not advisable to stop rummaging, as this can increase agitation or distress. Instead, focus on managing the behavior safely and supportively. Creating a designated “rummage space” can be effective. This can be a box, drawer, or area filled with safe, familiar, and interesting items like old photos, fabrics, or sorting tools for the person to explore.
Ensuring safety is important; dangerous items like cleaning supplies, sharp objects, or medications should be locked away or removed. Valuable items such as important documents or jewelry should also be secured to prevent misplacement. Distraction and redirection are useful techniques, where you gently guide the individual’s attention to another activity or a designated rummage space when they start searching elsewhere.
Providing engaging activities can help fulfill the need for purpose and reduce boredom, which can trigger rummaging. Simple tasks like folding laundry, sorting socks, or organizing nuts and bolts can be meaningful. Maintaining a consistent daily routine can provide predictability and reduce anxiety, lessening the urge to rummage. Approach the individual with patience and empathy, remembering the behavior is part of their condition.