How do you respond when someone with dementia asks the same question over and over?

When someone with dementia repeats a question, they have genuinely forgotten asking it, and the question often carries a feeling like worry or insecurity. Answer briefly and calmly, reassure the feeling underneath, and gently redirect to an activity. Avoid saying "you already asked me that."

Repeated questions are one of the most common and most wearing parts of dementia care. "What time is it?" or "When are we going?" can come every few minutes. It helps to know that the person is not being difficult. Short-term memory is failing, so each time the question is genuinely new to them.

Answer the feeling, not just the words

A repeated question often has an emotion underneath it. "When are we leaving?" may really mean "I feel unsettled and I want to know I am safe." A calm, warm answer that addresses the worry ("We have plenty of time, we will go after lunch, I will be with you") reassures more than the facts alone.

Keep it simple and steady

Answer briefly and in the same words each time, rather than adding detail that has to be processed again. Getting frustrated or saying "I just told you" tends to cause distress and does not help, because the person cannot hold on to the earlier answer.

Redirect and reduce the trigger

After answering, gently move to something else: a snack, a short walk, a familiar task, or a photo to look at. Written cues can help too. A clock in view, or a whiteboard with the day's plan, gives the person a way to answer their own question and can lower how often it comes up.

This is general information, not medical advice. Every situation is different, so talk to a doctor about yours.