A lack of insight or awareness is when a person living with a form dementia or a brain injury is unable to recognize changes in their behavior and emotions.
Adult children may interpret this as a parent being difficult or in denial. However, the part of the brain that is damaged, often by Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body dementia, or a stroke, is what is affecting the individual’s inability to see these changes. It is related to loss of activity in areas in the front of a person’s brain, known as the frontal lobes.
According to The Cleveland Clinic, the frontal lobes are responsible for reasoning, social understanding, executive functioning, voluntary muscle movements, and learning and recalling information.
Damage to the frontal lobes can result in the inability to plan a sequence of complex movements needed to complete multi-stepped tasks, loss of spontaneity in interacting with others, perseveration, inability to focus on a task and to filter out distractions, mood fluctuations, difficulty problem solving or inhibiting or controlling a response or impulse, reduced awareness or insight into difficulties, as well a changes in social behavior and/or personality.
Challenged by a parent’s lack of awareness and not sure how to move forward? We can help. If you live in the greater Seattle area, schedule a free get-acquainted call with us at Aging Wisdom to explore how we can be a support.
Resources and Additional Reading