Embarrassing and odd behaviour Changes in behaviour One day we
were in a supermarket and my father went up to a woman, pointed
to a pot of honey she was holding in her hand and said, “Hum,
that’s honey. It’s good!” I was embarrassed about the
uninhibited way he had approached this woman, whom I did not
know. The woman replied, “Yes, it’s honey and it’s gentle like
you”. At that moment I realised that social norms weren’t
important, that what counted was sensitivity and that I could go
anywhere with my father. The person with dementia may
occasionally behave in a way which seems to be totally
inappropriate, or they may do something which others find
strange. Sometimes such behaviour is merely unusual; sometimes
it is disturbing or embarrassing for other people. This
behaviour can be due to the fact that the part of the brain
which controls inhibitions has been damaged, with the
consequence that behaviour is no longer governed by social
conventions. Alternatively, the person may be confused,
disoriented or unsu