Alzheimer’s Disease: Dealing with Difficult Behaviours in Seniors

Seniors and Alzheimers  |  November 13, 2020

What Every Senior and Caregiver Needs to Know About Dealing with Difficult Alzheimer’s Behaviour

Alzheimer’s Disease: Dealing with Difficult Behavior | Caring for a loved one can be a rewarding experience, but it’s not without challenges. These challenges can be significantly more impactful for those caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia. Changes in behaviours can occur for a variety of reasons, including over-stimulation, physical discomfort, confusion, exhaustion caused by sleep problems, medication, or changes in routine.

Understanding the cause of behavioural changes is critical for caregivers, families and friends. And, it’s helpful for caregivers to know how to manage behaviours that will allow them to provide safe and effective support and diffuse tense situations.

Seniors with Alzheimer’s and Difficult Behavior Examples:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Aggression or anger
• Suspicion
• Hallucinations
• Pacing or wandering

The most important thing that caregivers need to remember is that challenging behaviours may not be entirely avoidable. It’s also not the fault of the person with Alzheimer’s or dementia. These behaviours are sometimes a common product of the disease. And, there is specialized support a caregiver can use to help keep a challenging behaviour from escalating.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Dealing with Difficult Behavior

While there is no guaranteed approach that will work with every person or situation, there are some methods that can help caregivers manage trying times:

Staying calm – It’s not uncommon for caregivers to feel attacked or helpless when they are caring for someone exhibiting difficult behaviours. Remembering that it isn’t personal and that it’s a symptom of the disease, can help caregivers manage their emotions and avoid contributing to tense or difficult situations. Arguing or reasoning can often escalate an outburst, so caregivers must stay calm and supportive

Keeping a schedule – Seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias often find it reassuring to have a set schedule for meals, activities and daily tasks. Creating a schedule, and sticking to it as much as possible, can help prevent anxiety, confusion and anger.

Exercise – Exercise, with approval from a physician, is a great stress reliever for both seniors and caregivers. And, participating in activities together helps foster important emotional connections.

Participating in activities – Whether it’s an enjoyable hobby, household chore or physician-approved exercise, participating in joyful activities has been shown to help manage challenging behaviours. These can be pre-scheduled or introduced when difficult behaviours are recognized. For example, caregivers can ask for help folding laundry to ease anxiety or can play music or sing to calm someone feeling confused, angry or depressed. 

Mindful communication – Caregivers shouldn’t underestimate the power of communication. Caregivers can use soothing tones, speak in a friendly way and make eye contact to convey normalcy, understanding and compassion. This can help seniors experiencing anxiety or frustration to calm themselves.

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References

alz.org Canada.  “Alzheimer’s and Dementia in Canada”. Web.  2019.

National Institute on Aging. “Managing Personality and Behavior Changes in Alzheimer’s.” Web. 2017.

Verywell Health. “Complete Guide to Challenging Behaviors in Dementia.” Web. 2019.

Alzheimer’s Association. “Stages and Behaviors.” Web. 

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