Why Someone With Dementia Stops Doing Things

Why Someone With Dementia Stops Doing Things

From Dementia Careblazers by Dr. Natali Edmonds

April 23, 2026 · 10 min · Episode 178

About this episode

This episode explores the reasons behind the withdrawal of individuals with dementia from daily activities and the neurological factors involved.

If your loved one used to fix things, run the household, stay busy and now they just sit there, you're probably wondering what happened. Are they depressed? Have they given up? Do they even care anymore? They do. And what's happening is not what it looks like. In this episode, I'm breaking down why someone with dementia withdraws from daily life, why their brain learns to stop trying, and why nothing you say seems to change it. If you'd like to see this episode on video, you can hop on over to my YouTube channel here . → Join the Care Collective: https://tinyurl.com/re-sales-podcast Get free weekly tools and tips in my newsletter, The Dementia Dose: https://tinyurl.com/dementiadose-podcast Chapters : 00:00 Intro 01:30 Why ability declines faster than awareness 03:30 How the brain learns to avoid what feels bad 04:35 Three neurological shifts behind the withdrawal 07:00 Why reassurance stops working 08:15 When to talk to their doctor #dementia #dementiacare #alzheimers #dementiacaregiver --- Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Natali Edmonds

Topics covered

  • dementia
  • withdrawal
  • neurological shifts
  • caregiving
  • mental health

Keywords

  • dementia
  • caregiver
  • Alzheimer's
  • mental health
  • neurology
  • withdrawal
  • depression

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