Potential Behaviours Caused by Dementia

Punding is an activity characterized by compulsive fascination with and performance of repetitive, mechanical tasks, such as assembling and disassembling, collecting, or sorting household objects. For example, punding may consist of activities such as:  

• collecting pebbles, seeds, leaves and picking up garbage. 
• lining up and rearranging items multiple times  
• disassembling household items or mechanical items (often seen more in men)  
• obsession with putting items together, jig saw puzzles and over interest in a particular hobby. 
• repetitive tasks such as folding laundry, sorting items, picking at clothing or buttons.   
• compulsion to empty contents of drawers and cupboards and hiding of objects. 

People engaging in punding find immersion in such activities comforting, even when it serves no purpose, and generally find it very frustrating to be diverted from them.  If the behaviour is not of any harm and keeps the person engaged, it does not harm them to encourage their punding behaviours.  If their behaviour is upsettig i.e., picking up all the silver wear in the dining room. Find a way to focus the same behaviour in a way that will not affect others, i.e., can you sit them at a table and have them sort their own personal stack of silverware before the meal?  This behavoiur is often also called persevering. 

Punding behaviour is sometimes an early warning sign of dementia if the behaviour is unusual to the person.  I.e., Francis’s family noticed that she became obsessed with sweeping the kitchen floor. She would sweep the same floor multiple times a day. It was difficult to have a conversation with her or gain her attention at this time.  She also started to bring a collection of rocks from the backyard into the kitchen.  While this behaviour was unusual it was explained away until a diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease was given two years later.    

Punding is very common in persons with Parkinson’s disease and researchers believe it is a side effect of the use of dopamine drugs to help Parkinsons.