Fear of mirrors is a lot more common than many people might think. If this is a new response for your senior, though, you might feel a bit lost in how to help her.
Fear and Other Responses to Mirrors
Elderly Care La Crescenta, CA: Fear of Mirrors
Some people have been afraid of mirrors for their entire lives, while others develop this fear later. If your elderly family member starts to suddenly be anxious when she sees her reflection, that could be a sign that there’s more going on. You might also see reactions like anger without an obvious reason or avoiding mirrors as much as possible.
Why Is This Happening?
This happens most often in people who have dementia or other cognitive illnesses. There could be a lot of reasons for this fear, but it’s possible that your elderly family member doesn’t recognize herself and that creates a startle response when she sees her own reflection. It could also be that when there are things happening behind her, but she sees them in the mirror, that’s disorienting.
Fear of Mirrors Can Lead to Other Issues
When your elderly family member is afraid to be around mirrors or reflective surfaces, that can cause her to avoid other activities, too. If there’s a large mirror in the bathroom, for instance, she might become more wary of bathing. Large mirrors in her bedroom or the room where she gets dressed might make her nervous, too. These can alter behaviors and routines that have been working well for her to that point.
What Can You Do?
If the mirrors aren’t absolutely necessary, you can remove them or cover them. This is especially true in rooms like your senior’s bedroom, where she might not need them at all. Mirrors in the bathroom can be a little more difficult. Covering the mirror with a piece of paper or fabric can help. If there are decorative mirrors elsewhere in the house, you might want to relocate them and see if that helps. You may also find that bringing in elderly care providers helps you and your senior to work out what she most needs at this point. Elderly care providers can also assist your senior in other ways, like making sure that she’s got help while bathing.
Sometimes these sorts of issues aren’t obvious. Your elderly family member might have been gradually more uncomfortable around mirrors for a while but maybe wasn’t aware how to articulate that. Once you’re aware of a situation, though, you can do more about it.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elderly Care in La Crescenta, CA please contact the caring staff at Nu Care Inc. today at. 800-505-6890