Is there a name for this?

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There is an older lady in my family who does this repeating thing that drives us all nuts. I'm wondering if its a condition, or that she's just quirky like that. Basically, you could say, "The onions are in the bottom drawer of the fridge," and she would say "Oh did you need onions? There in the bottom drawer of the fridge." You state something, and then she restates it immediately as her own idea. This is a constant thing at family dinners, out shopping one-on-one, doesn't matter where, she's doing it. She does have hearing aids (but truthfully she doesnt need them, she can hear just fine without them). Ideas?

It sounds like OCD which sometimes goes hand in hand with Tourettes. Does she have other anxiety issues? These things tend to be exacerbated by stress.

She does take an anxiety medication, her "nerve pill" as she refers to it. I can't recall at the moment which it is. The OCD thing does sound like a possibility, as other family members do have OCD like symptoms, but nothing full-blown and disabling.

As far as "other symptoms," nothing really. She seems to get on these idea trips of things she should buy, that she doesnt really have the money for. All it takes is one of the family to find out, and we gently talk her out of it. (not sure if that's more-or-less growing up with nothing, now she's 70's-ish and doesnt have the fancy things others have)

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

Did you ever try asking her why she does this?

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.

How about ADHD? We often can hear something just fine and carry on a conversation like we are right there in the conversation, but we will forget things that have been just said because our mind is elsewhere. Maybe it's a well-honed coping mechanism for her to repeat things. I do it often to make sure I heard, understood, and remembered something correctly. (I don't act like it's my original idea, though.) I have no hearing deficit, but I have ADHD.

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Another "weird" thing it could be is some sort of auditory processing disorder. I find it strange that she has hearing aids and yet you think she can hear just fine. She may have some auditory processing problems that she copes with by repeating to verify that she heard them correctly.

Or worse ... she have a combination of problems. She may have started repeated things because of a hearing disorder or auditory processing disorder (2 different problems) and developed a habit of doing that all the time ... and now is having some dementia problems that are causing her to repeat things inappropriately.

I guess it could be a lot of things -- or a combination of a lot of things. It sounds like she should be checked out by a professional to me.

But in her defense, if she has hearing aids, she probably has a hearing problem. It's doubtful that she bought them for their great looks. It's a great source of frustration for those of us who are hard of hearing when normally-hearing folks conclude we can "hear just fine" because we are not totally deaf. Hearing losses and auditory processing disorders can be very complicated. Few people (including health professionals) know much about them unless you have made a special study of them and/or have lots of experience in them. The OP is probably not in a position to know the extent of her hearing needs.

Heh, well, that "buying them for their great looks" is somewhat the CORRECT reason why she got them. This lady is actually my grandma, and her daughter (my mom) is deaf. After my mother got hearing aids, she suddenly felt the need to get them. I won't go into a group therapy session here, but you get the picture. She does have a hypochondriac side to her. (you have a headache, she has a migraine; you have a cold, she's dying of hypothermia; etc). Perfect examples of her great hearing, she hears things going on out side with out her hearing aids even in, things that my young ears didn't pick up. Or the TV is at a very reasonable low volume to be heard, and nope, no hearing aids in. She's a little different. I'm very familiar with the s/s of being hearing impaired, and it getting worse. (Mom has always been considered deaf, but what little hearing she does have has decreased over the years, i've watched it meticulously (Meniere's disease combined with antibiotics).

An auditory processing issue could be a reason, if it can happen at normal hearing.

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Gives me some talking points to talk to the doctor about. I'm really leaning towards the tourrettes/OCD idea. That's making a lot of sense.

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LOL

Just wondering if we should be worried? It's gotten progressively worse over the years. Sometimes she just restates everything.

IE: Joe: i saw on tv that they had a new cancer drug.

Amy: Oh really?

Older Lady: Did you know they had some new drug for cancer?

It's constantly like this.

It drove you all nuts for years and got progressively worse, but no one thought to seek medical advice? I should think that would have been in consideration, years back.

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Wouldn't be anything like an echolalia of sorts would it?

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Yeah it sounds a little like echolalia, but what I find so odd is that she isn't just repeating back what you just said, but turning it around as her idea. When I worked Alzheimer's care I would often hear the residents just repeating back what they had heard, but never changing it in that way...that I know of. A bit perplexing there.

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A screening for dementia sounds in order.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Your answer might be in the onions in the bottom of the fridge...

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