Why Alzheimer’s Patients Become Agitated

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Anyone caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s knows that angry, aggressive outbursts are one of the disease’s greatest challenges. Often, caregivers think in terms of managing these episodes once they occur. How can I redirect their attention elsewhere? Is there medication mom or dad can take? These solutions can be helpful, but it’s even more effective to find the cause of the outburst, in order to prevent such incidents before they even occur. There are five common reasons why someone with Alzheimer’s disease may become upset. The problem could be one specific thing, or a combination of factors. Their Surroundings: Is there something about the environment that’s making your loved one uncomfortable? Are they too hot? Is there some noise that’s bothering them? Are there too many people around? Frustration with being unable to control what’s happening or even communicate that they have a problem with it may make them upset. Physical Difficulties: Your loved one’s agitation may be caused by some kind of a physical impairment. Check to see what might be wrong. Is there some kind of irritation or pain that’s bothering them? Are they having digestive problems or are they tired? These kind of problems may cause your loved one to lash out with a tantrum. Psychological Issues: It’s common for Alzheimer’s patients to develop mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or delusions. If you suspect this might be the case with your loved one, take them to the doctor. Medication can make an enormous difference in these situations. Interpersonal Problems: Alzheimer’s patients are very sensitive to the tone you set, and thus are likely to react strongly to feeling rushed, forced, or otherwise rudely treated. Be gentle and calming in your approach and try not to talk down to them. Be alert for your own frustration and do your best to keep it in check. Ask them to do things rather than issue commands. Disappointed Expectations: Because you know what your loved one used to be capable of, it’s easy for you to ask them to take on a task that might be too difficult for them. When they realize that they are not able to carry out the assignment that you gave them, they’re likely to have an outburst. Be careful to keep in mind what they’re capable of, and remember that rather than learning and growing, as we normally expect from people, they are instead in decline. What was possible a few months ago may no longer be. If you’re finding that your loved one is frequently aggressive or agitated, consider these root causes when trying to address the problem. If you can prevent such incidents from happening in the first place, you’ll both be better off.
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Dementia vs. Ordinary Forgetfulness and Confusion

Mom keeps misplacing her keys and dad needs to ask you the same question three or four times before the answer seems to sink in. Is this the beginning of dementia or just a normal part of the changes that come with aging? Here are 5 signs to watch for to get a sense of whether you should be concerned. 1. Forgetfulness. We can all be forgetful from time to time, but it doesn’t mean we’re developing Alzheimer’s or dementia. It’s normal for mom or dad to forget someone’s name if they don’t see them that often or to misplace the TV remote. The key to knowing whether or not it’s dementia is the severity. Knowing how your loved one usually acts, does the forgetfulness seem unusual? For example, few of us would forget about a conversation that happened just 15 minutes ago. Another thing to keep in mind is that those in the early stages of dementia have trouble with short-term memory. If mom can’t seem to keep new information in her head, that may be a sign. 2. Lack of focus. Does dad forget where he is or is he taking longer to do familiar tasks? That may be a sign of dementia, as is having trouble with time and place in general. Look out for confusion between the past and the present, not understanding how time is passing and being unable to explain how they got somewhere. 3. Misplacing things. Just as with being forgetful, we all sometimes put something down and then lose it. However, a person with dementia will be unable to think back through their day to where they may have lost the object. They may also put things in unusual places: for example, mom’s glasses will turn up in the microwave. Those with dementia are often convinced that they remember where they put something, and may accuse someone of moving or even stealing it. 4. Trouble with everyday tasks. Dementia can result in a person forgetting how to do familiar things. Can mom no longer make her famous lemon meringue pie? Is dad forgetting the rules to bridge? Keep an eye out for your loved one asking someone else to do favorite tasks for him or her. 5. Trouble with words. Dementia patients often cannot think of the correct word to use, even for basic objects like a pair of glasses or a watch. They may use a placeholder instead such as “thingy” or something even stranger such as calling the refrigerator the “cold closet.” The only person who can really give you a definitive answer about whether your loved one has dementia is their doctor. Dementia patients suffer a range of symptoms, and only a trained professional can make sense of what your loved one is experiencing. So if you suspect that dementia is the culprit behind new behaviors, talk to your parent about making an appointment together.
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