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Health & Fitness

Family Caregivers Video 5- Alzheimer's Disease and Aggressive Behavior

Hello. My name is Gabriella Ambrosi and I am the President and CEO of Sequoia Senior Solutions. We provide in-home care for the elderly and many of our clients are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Last week we discussed how to make it easier for your loved one with Alzheimer’s to follow directions and perform daily routines.

Today, we will talk about how to deal with and minimize aggressive behavior.

Remember that what's causing difficult behavior in the person is Alzheimer’s disease.     As you may recall from one of my previous presentations, Alzheimer’s disease is very much a physical disease. You might want to go back to Video #2 that shows you the devastating effect Alzheimer’s disease has on the brain of the person affected. As you care for your loved one and are, at times, the object of his anger, try to remember that his aggressive behavior is beyond his control.

Here are some tactics on how to minimize and dissipate aggressive behavior in a person with Alzheimer’s:

  • During an outburst, you might want to distract her by offering  an interesting activity.
  • Redirect the person with Alzheimer’s – I remember a client of ours who at times would become agitated thinking he had to go to work, even though he had been retired for 30 years. Our caregiver would manage to calm him down by encouraging him to have a healthy breakfast with the promise she would later take him out.
  • Look for patterns in the aggression. For example, does your father become aggressive when you try to help him getting dressed? Perhaps he does not recognize you as his son and is misinterpreting your physical closeness. If this happens frequently during this routine, remind him of who you are before you offer to help. Consider factors such as privacy, independence, boredom, pain, or fatigue.
As I mentioned in Video #3, your body language and the tone of your voice become extra important when talking and communicating to someone with Alzheimer’s disease. If a person with dementia feels threatened, undermined or confused by your communication with them they may react in a negative way. Conversation or information can increase agitation, undermine their confidence, increase their feelings of isolation.

When caring for a person with Alzheimer’s, it is very important to find the time to care for yourself, so that you maintain the required calm and have the energy to sustain the formidable challenge you are in. Ask a family member to step in for you for a day or even a few hours. Find respite resources in your community, such as an in- home care agency or an adult day care. Some assisted living facilities that specialize in Alzheimer’s also offer respite care, so that the family caregiver can perhaps take a few days off for relief. 

In my next video I will be talking about management of hallucinations and how little changes in the environment can make a difference.

For more videos and useful information, please go to Sequoia Senior Solutions.

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