Alzheimer's & dementia
Understanding Alzheimer's behaviors, and how to respond
Alzheimer's is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior. It can cause a person to act in different and unpredictable ways. It is important to understand that the person is not acting that way on purpose.
What families see
Behaviors that are common with dementia
Some individuals become anxious or aggressive. Others repeat certain questions or gestures. Many misinterpret what they hear. These reactions can lead to misunderstanding, frustration and tension between the person with dementia and their family.
Behavioral disturbances result from the inability to remember, reason and communicate. Identifying the likely cause of a problem behavior helps determine the approach that may work best.
- Echolalia, repeating a word over and over
- Repeating questions or activities again and again
- Verbal or physical aggressive behaviors
- Suspicious or paranoid thinking
- Anxious or agitated feelings
- Difficulty recognizing familiar people, places or things
Three basic areas
Where difficult behaviors come from
Physical and emotional health
Medications, impaired vision or hearing, acute or chronic illness, dehydration, constipation, depression, fatigue and physical discomfort such as pain.
The environment
A space that is too large, cluttered or over-stimulating; no orientation cues like signs; too little stimulation; no structure; or surroundings that keep changing or are new to the person.
The task
A task that is too complicated, has too many steps, is not modified for the person's impairments, or is unfamiliar.
A simple approach
Identify the challenge, then consider solutions
- 1
Identify and examine the behavior
What was the undesirable behavior? Was it harmful to the individual or others? What happened before it occurred? Did something trigger it? Try to answer what, where, why, when and how.
- 2
Explore potential solutions
Is there something the person needs or wants? Can you change the surroundings? Is the area noisy, crowded or well lit? Are you responding in a calm, supportive way?
- 3
Try different responses
Did your response help? Do you need to explore other potential causes and solutions? If so, what can you do differently next time?
Practical tips
Practical tips for Alzheimer's behaviors
- Try to identify the immediate cause
- Focus on feelings, not facts. Look for the feelings behind the words
- Stay calm and be positive
- Limit distractions
- Try a relaxing activity or modify the environment
- Shift the focus to another activity when they show aggression
- Respond with a brief explanation
- Show photos and other reminders to stimulate memory
- Avoid questions, offer suggestions
- Do not take their behavior personally
- Provide an answer for repetitive questions
- Accept their behavior and find ways to work with it
- Don't argue, acknowledge their opinions
- Find outlets for the person's energy: walks, games, etc.
- Acknowledge requests and respond to them
- Establish routines and plan schedules
- Limit choices
- Allow more time for tasks
- Maintain a safe environment
- Keep things simple
- Share your experiences with others
- Consult a physician to identify any causes related to medications or illness
Nutrition
Helping an Alzheimer's patient stay healthy
The following suggestions from the Alzheimer's Association help a patient keep eating well.
Meal-time suggestions
- Serve several small meals rather than three large ones.
- Serve finger foods, or serve the meal in the form of a sandwich.
- Don't serve steaming or extremely hot foods or liquids.
- Limit highly salted foods or sweets if the person has a chronic health problem.
- Fill in gaps between regular meals with healthy snacks.
If swallowing is difficult
- Blend the food, or alternate small bites of food with a drink.
- Substitute fruit juice, gelatin, foods cooked with water, sherbet, fruit or soup for solids.
- Serve mashed potatoes rather than fried potatoes.
- Offer bite-size pieces of cooked meat, or turkey or chicken salad, instead of sliced meat.
Ready to schedule?
Our caregivers are experienced with Alzheimer's and dementia. Call to talk about a routine of care your family can count on.