As the ability to reason abandons them, people with Alzheimer's disease can develop annoying and sometimes aggressive behaviors. While some caregivers have found their grandfather stuffing items from drugstore shelves into his pockets and angrily refusing to put them back, others have tales of their mother calling them at work 35 times a day, or of a husband kicking and yelling in order to avoid brushing his teeth. These situations can try the patience of the calmest caregiver, but not taking such behavior personally and employing certain strategies can help.
Causes of Behavioral Changes
If a caregiver notices significant behavioral changes, experts say they should first have the person with Alzheimer's assessed by a healthcare professional to make sure that they don't have underlying pain or discomfort. "A patient with severe dementia may not be able to tell you they're having abdominal pain, so it may just manifest as agitation," says Marc L. Gordon, MD, chief of neuroscience at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System in Great Neck, New York.
Kathleen O'Brien, senior vice president of programming and community services at the Alzheimer's Association, says that "being a good caregiver is about being a good detective." Besides agitated behavior, other clues that someone might be in pain include a grimacing facial expression or squirming. Agitated behavior may also mean that someone has a urinary tract infection, that they are having a reaction to their medication, or simply that they're hungry or thirsty.
An over-stimulating environment, a change in living arrangements or in caregivers, or frustration with not being able to handle a simple task can also provoke an episode. That's why intimate personal care issues such as bathing can turn into nightly stand-offs. "If the person feels like their self-esteem or dignity is being compromised, that can create volatile situation," O'Brien says.
