Why Interruptions Can Be So Frustrating With Parkinson’s
“Where Was I?”
You’re halfway through making a cup of tea when somebody asks you a question.
You answer them.
Then you look back at the kitchen worktop.
And for a moment you think:
“What was I doing?”
Or perhaps you’re telling somebody a story.
They interrupt with a quick comment.
You respond.
Then comes the dreaded:
“I’ve completely forgotten what I was going to say.”
Everybody experiences this occasionally.
But for some people living with Parkinson’s, interruptions can be particularly disruptive.
It isn’t necessarily that the person has forgotten how to make tea, finish getting dressed or complete whatever task they were doing.
The difficulty can be getting back to the point where they were interrupted.
Parkinson’s Isn’t Only About Movement
Parkinson’s is usually associated with movement symptoms such as tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement.
But Parkinson’s can also affect aspects of thinking.
Some people experience changes involving attention, concentration, processing speed and what are known as executive functions.
Executive functions help us organise behaviour, maintain attention, plan what comes next, switch between tasks and keep track of what we’re doing.
These abilities are enormously important during ordinary daily life.
Making breakfast isn’t one action.
It is a sequence.
Get the mug.
Fill the kettle.
Switch it on.
Get the tea.
Pour the water.
Add milk.
Put everything away.
Most of us barely notice the individual stages because the brain coordinates them almost automatically.
When maintaining or switching attention becomes more demanding, an interruption can break that sequence.
An Interruption Creates Another Task
Imagine somebody is concentrating on fastening a shirt.
They are already dealing with something Parkinson’s may have made physically more demanding.
Then somebody says:
“Have you remembered your tablets?”
Now the brain has another job.
Stop concentrating on the button.
Process the question.
Think about the medication.
Answer.
Then return attention to the shirt.
For someone who finds switching attention more difficult, that apparently helpful question may have made the original task considerably harder.
The person may now need to work out:
Where had I got to?
Conversation Can Be Affected Too
This isn’t limited to physical tasks.
Imagine you’re explaining something.
You know what you want to say.
You are constructing the sentence.
Perhaps finding the right words is already taking slightly longer.
Then somebody interrupts.
Even with something completely relevant.
The original thought can disappear.
“Sorry, carry on.”
But carrying on isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
The person may need time to reconstruct the thought that was interrupted.
Sometimes it returns.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
That can be extremely frustrating, particularly when somebody knows exactly what they wanted to communicate moments earlier.
Finishing Someone’s Sentence Isn’t Always Helpful
When somebody takes longer to speak, there is a natural temptation to help.
You think you know what they’re trying to say.
So you finish the sentence for them.
Occasionally that may genuinely be appreciated.
But repeatedly doing it can also be frustrating.
You may guess incorrectly.
You may interrupt the person’s concentration.
And, perhaps most importantly, you may gradually remove their opportunity to speak for themselves.
A few seconds of silence can feel uncomfortable to the listener.
That doesn’t mean it needs filling.
Sometimes the most helpful thing you can contribute to a conversation is time.
Multitasking Can Become More Demanding
Modern life constantly encourages us to do several things at once.
Talk while cooking.
Check a phone while watching television.
Answer questions while getting dressed.
Listen to somebody while looking for the car keys.
For some people with Parkinson’s, dividing attention between activities can become more difficult.
This means something that looks like simple multitasking may actually involve repeatedly switching attention from one activity to another.
Each switch creates another opportunity to lose track of the original task.
Reducing unnecessary interruptions can therefore make some everyday activities easier.
“But I Only Asked a Question”
This can occasionally create tension between couples and families.
One person is concentrating intensely on doing something.
The other asks an entirely ordinary question.
The response is unexpectedly sharp:
“Just give me a minute!”
It can sound irritable.
Perhaps it is.
But there may also be something else happening.
The person may be using a considerable amount of concentration to complete the task in front of them.
The interruption creates additional cognitive demand at exactly the wrong moment.
Understanding that doesn’t excuse treating somebody badly.
But it may explain why an apparently innocent interruption sometimes produces disproportionate frustration.
Busy Environments Make Interruptions Harder to Avoid
At home, it may be possible to create a quieter environment.
Outside the home, that’s much harder.
Consider ordering something at a busy café.
Music is playing.
People are talking.
Someone behind you is waiting.
A member of staff asks a question.
Another member of staff calls an order number.
You are trying to remember what you wanted.
There are several competing demands for attention at once.
What looks like hesitation may actually be somebody trying to filter out everything that isn’t relevant and concentrate on one thing.
Again, patience can make a significant difference.
Medication and Fatigue May Influence the Experience
Parkinson’s symptoms can fluctuate.
Some people notice that concentration or thinking feels easier at certain times than others.
Fatigue, poor sleep, stress and medication-related fluctuations may also influence how demanding everyday tasks feel.
That means somebody may cope perfectly well with interruptions one day and find them extremely frustrating another day.
Parkinson’s is rarely consistent enough to fit neatly into:
“You could do this yesterday, so why can’t you do it today?”
What Can Help?
There is no single strategy that will suit everybody, and not everyone with Parkinson’s experiences these difficulties.
But some simple approaches may help.
Let One Task Be One Task
If somebody is concentrating on dressing, preparing medication or another important activity, consider whether your question genuinely needs answering at that exact moment.
Reduce Distractions
A quieter environment may make tasks requiring concentration easier.
Turning down the television or radio can sometimes help more than people realise.
Give Conversations Space
If somebody pauses while speaking, resist automatically jumping in.
Give them an opportunity to find the word or recover the thought.
Use Simple Reminders
Lists, notes, phone reminders and routines can reduce the amount of information somebody has to hold in mind while completing other tasks.
Pause and Restart
If an interruption has derailed a task, rushing to recover may make things more frustrating.
Sometimes stopping for a moment and consciously asking “Where was I?” is enough to re-establish the sequence.
Don’t Confuse Taking Longer With Not Understanding
This is particularly important.
Somebody taking longer to answer a question does not necessarily mean they didn’t understand it.
Someone pausing during a story does not necessarily mean they have forgotten everything.
Someone becoming confused after being interrupted does not necessarily mean they are incapable of completing the task.
Processing, retrieving and reorganising information can take time.
Giving that time preserves independence.
Constantly stepping in can unintentionally take it away.
When Changes Should Be Discussed
Minor lapses in concentration happen to everybody.
However, noticeable changes in thinking, memory, attention or the ability to manage everyday activities should not simply be dismissed as an inevitable part of Parkinson’s.
There can be many possible contributors, including medication, sleep, mood, other medical conditions and Parkinson’s itself.
If changes are new, significant or affecting daily life, they should be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional or Parkinson’s specialist.
Sometimes “Give Me a Minute” Really Means Give Me a Minute
We live in a world that dislikes pauses.
If somebody doesn’t answer immediately, we repeat the question.
If they struggle for a word, we suggest one.
If they stop halfway through something, we offer to finish it.
Usually we’re trying to help.
But Parkinson’s can teach us something useful about patience.
Not every silence needs filling.
Not every hesitation needs rescuing.
Not every task needs somebody else to take over.
Sometimes the person simply needs enough uninterrupted time to finish what their brain was already doing.
So the next time somebody with Parkinson’s says:
“Hang on. Let me finish this first.”
Perhaps the best response is exactly that.
Let them finish.
Hullbridge Parkinson’s Cafe is a friendly, informal community for people living with Parkinson’s, their partners, families and carers.
We meet at Hullbridge Free Church, 47–48 Lower Road, Hullbridge, Essex SS5 6DF, on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 11:00am–1:00pm.
No booking is required and new faces are always welcome.
If you or somebody you care for experiences new or significant changes in memory, attention, thinking or everyday functioning, speak with an appropriate healthcare professional or Parkinson’s specialist for individual assessment and advice.