Dementia affects millions of people across the globe and can be distressing for both the patient and their loved ones. Agitation, anger, wandering, and confusion can all be symptoms of dementia. They can be even more challenging to identify and manage as the disease progresses.
Keeping these habits under check can be challenging and uncomfortable, but it is doable with the correct tools and guidance.
This blog will help you to learn how to recognize and manage the challenging behaviors associated with dementia. We’ll discuss the importance of communicating with a person with dementia and the steps you may take to do so effectively. Common behaviors of people with dementia will be examined, along with their causes.
We will discuss methods for calming and redirecting complex behavior. Also, how to make the caregiving environment safe and pleasant and deal with caregiver stress and burnout.
Dementia caregiving can be a taxing and mentally challenging experience. But you need not go through it alone. Educating yourself about dementia and finding ways to alleviate its symptoms can enhance the quality of life for both you and your loved one.
This article will equip you, as a loved one, friend, or professional caregiver, with the knowledge and tools to face the difficulties associated with dementia with empathy and sensitivity.
Common Dementia Behaviors
Dementia is a progressive brain illness that causes various cognitive and behavioral changes.
As the condition advances, dementia patients may exhibit challenging behaviors. This can test the patience of loved ones and caregivers.
We will discuss some of the most typical dementia behaviors below:
1. Repetitive Behaviors
Repetitive behaviors are one of the most prominent indicators of dementia. Such conduct can involve asking the same question repeatedly or telling the same narrative in various forms.
Anxiety, disorientation, and memory loss are all possible roots of compulsive behavior. Caregivers should remain calm and patient when redirecting the person’s attention to a new activity or topic.
2. Agitation
Agitation is another typical behavior of dementia. Many things can trigger agitation, like physical discomfort, physiological needs, or environmental changes. Addressing the underlying cause of the agitation, such as pain, hunger, or a lack of distractions, is the best method to calm down.
3. Wandering
Wandering is a common behavior seen in patients who have dementia-the risk of getting lost and disoriented increases when a person with dementia exhibits this behavior. The need to get away from a dangerous situation and reconnect with familiar people or places can set off a period of aimless wandering. One can prevent the patient from wandering out by locking doors and windows, installing alarms, and keeping a close check on them.
4. Aggression, Both Verbal and Physical
Caregiving is difficult when the patient becomes aggressive, either verbally or physically. A few things that might set off a person’s anger are irritation, pain, or the perception of danger.
Maintaining composure, avoiding confrontation, and providing reassurance and comfort can help control aggression. While watching for signs of hostility, caregivers should try to create a peaceful atmosphere for the patient.
5. Sundowning
“Sundowning” is a pattern of behavior that some people experience in the late afternoon or evening when they become confused, anxious, and irritable. Several factors, including exhaustion, routine disruption, and altered lighting, can precipitate sundowning.
Consistency in routine, the serenity of the atmosphere, and the restriction of stimulating activities in the evening are all helpful in controlling sundowning.
6. Inappropriate Sexual Behavior
Dementia patients might also engage in inappropriate sexual activity. Some examples of this behavior are undressing in public and making sexual advances on caregivers and others.
Causes of inappropriate sexual behavior include mental fuzziness and physiological shifts. Caregivers must keep calm and divert the patient’s focus to something else. There may be a need for a professional intervention if the behavior persists.
How to Deal With Difficult Behavior?
Changes in attitude and behavior are frequent in people with dementia, adding to the stress of caregiving for a loved one with the disease. You should be resourceful, adaptable, patient, and kind to overcome these obstacles. Keeping your cool and a sense of humor are also helpful.
Consider the following advice:
1. You Cannot Change the Individual
- You are providing care for a person who has a brain condition that has shaped who he is. Any attempts you make to influence or alter his behavior will likely fail or encounter opposition. It’s essential to:
- Strive to be flexible with the behavior rather than trying to control it. For instance, if the individual likes to sleep on the floor, you may put a mattress there.
- Keep in mind that we can alter our conduct or the surrounding environment. Changing our behavior frequently causes our loved ones also to modify their behavior.
2. See If their Behavior has a Purpose
Most people with dementia cannot communicate their wants and needs to caregivers. They could do something strange to us daily, like clearing the closet. Most likely, they are fulfilling a desire to be actively engaged in a worthwhile activity. While dealing with someone’s actions, always remember what needs they might be trying to fulfill.
3. Look at the Triggers
All behaviors have reasons; no one acts irrationally. A person’s words or behaviors, a shift in the physical environment, or a series of events may all contribute to the commencement of a particular pattern of behavior. Disrupting the routines we establish is the first step for changes in our behavior.
4. What’s Efficient Now Might not be in the Future
Because of the complexity of the factors at play in problematic behavior and the inevitable progression of the disease, effective remedies today may need to be modified tomorrow or may no longer function at all. Adaptability and originality in problem-solving are essential for effective behavior management.
5. Join Forces with Other People
When caring for a loved one with dementia, it’s helpful to remember that you’re not alone in the challenges you’re facing. Finding local Alzheimer’s Association chapters can help you connect with helpful support groups, organizations, and resources.
To do so, look up your area’s Area Agency on Aging. As with the person you care for, you can anticipate experiencing highs and lows. Figure out ways to get through the rough times.
8 Tips for Dealing with Difficult Dementia Behaviors
Dealing with troublesome behaviors is a common source of stress for caregivers of people with dementia. Here are eight strategies for dealing with challenging dementia behaviors to assist you in getting through the more trying moments of dementia caregiving:
1. Create a Calm Environment
Creating a tranquil setting is especially crucial for those with dementia, as the disease is known to produce agitation and disorientation. By decluttering the space, you can help a loved one feel calmer and more at peace. Decorate with soft, soothing colors, switch off the TV, and clear the clutter to create a relaxing atmosphere.
2. Limited Communication
Dementia patients’ cognitive abilities may decline with age. Therefore, keeping communications simple is recommended. Don’t add to your loved one’s anxiety or depression by sharing depressing news. You can avoid trouble by choosing to maintain peace.
3. Promote Exercise
Help your loved one deal with intense confusion and bewilderment by encouraging them to engage in regular physical activity. If you want to help, a loved one get in at least 20 minutes of cardio exercises every day, consult a physician about ways to do it.
4. Informed Choices About Medication
Medications may occasionally alleviate undesirable side effects like hallucinations, paranoia, and anxiety. See a doctor about treatment choices for your family member.
5. Ask for Support
Options for older people living with dementia include residential care facilities, temporary living arrangements, and adult day care programs. If you find a place that genuinely cares for your loved one, you can rest assured that they are having a good time while you get some much-needed rest.
6. Use Simple Language
Aiming for clarity by using primary language helps reduce the chance of misunderstandings and arguments. It is crucial that you effectively convey your message to your loved one.
7. Take Time to Reflect
Although your loved one may have trouble recalling recent events, many persons with dementia retain long-term memories. Listening to songs from their heyday or asking questions about their ancestors’ lives can help them refocus and find some solace during this trying period.
8. Know That You Are Giving Your Best Effort
Caring for someone with dementia is incredibly taxing and time-consuming. Get comfort knowing that you provide exceptional care for your loved one. Relish the good times, bear with the bad ones with patience and compassion, and remember that you are not in this alone.
Summary
Dementia-related behaviors can be hard for both the patient and their caretakers. Nonetheless, you can manage the condition, and enhance the patient’s quality of life, with the correct knowledge and coping skills.
Keep in mind that people with dementia aren’t being rude on purpose; instead, they’re dealing with physiological changes in their brains that have a direct impact on their social and communicative abilities. Caregivers can better respond to the patient’s needs by first understanding what motivates the patient’s conduct.
In addition, it is critical to apply coping methods that put the patient’s safety and well-being first, such as sticking to a regular schedule, making the space feel comfortable and familiar, and encouraging healthy social interactions and activities.
For both the patient and the caregiver, reaching out for emotional and mental assistance from healthcare experts, support groups, and other caregivers might be helpful.
