The changes to the brain from Alzheimer’s disease can change the way a person acts. These behaviors can make caregiving for a loved one with Alzheimer’s in your home more difficult. They may act like a completely different person than you have known your entire life, and finding Alzheimer’s and dementia care techniques to keep them safe while still preserving their dignity can be a challenge.
Five Common Behavior Changes and Coping Techniques
Everyone’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease is different. There is no linear journey where it’s always known what will come next. It’s also very likely that behavior will disappear for a while, only to reappear later. It might return exactly as before or in a different area of his daily routine.
It’s also possible that the tricks you used to manage the behavior will not work anymore and you’ll need to adjust or develop your management plan for the behavior that is disrupting his care and possibly putting him in danger.
With that in mind, let’s look at five common behavior changes and one or two Alzheimer’s and dementia care techniques to help you manage them:
Negative Emotions Occur More Often and are More Extreme
If your loved one was always mild-mannered and soft-spoken, you might feel shocked by extreme emotions such as anger, depression, or anxiety. These emotions can seem to come out of nowhere but, oftentimes, can be easily reduced by a calm voice and distraction.
For example, if your loved one is angry about your neighbor, instead of arguing and trying to explain why he shouldn’t be mad, calmly say you’ll deal with that another day, and then lead him to a calmer, favorite activity.
Wandering
Wandering can happen safely in the home or unsafely outside and unsupervised. For that reason, it’s important to keep your home safely secured for your loved one so he cannot get out on his own and become lost.
To help reduce night-time wandering, make sure he has plenty of exercise during the day.
Rummaging for Items
Your loved one might be looking for something over and over again, whether it’s a real object or not. Provide distraction if he’s getting upset by not finding his desired object and keep any dangerous areas to rummage through (like a silverware drawer) locked tight.
Hiding Items
Your loved one may keep hiding items from you and it can be frustrating. Work to know his key hiding places and check them regularly for items he might have hidden away there.
Imagining Things That Aren’t There
Hallucinations can seem very real to your loved one. Distract him away from the hallucination by taking him to another room in the house and introducing him to something different.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Providers Can Help with Behavior Changes
Some behaviors can be centered around a relationship, and that can make it difficult for a loving caregiver to change a behavior. If your aging loved one refuses to listen or follow important instructions, it can create frustration for both individuals. An Alzheimer’s and dementia care provider can be a neutral party who can step in, assist, and help both people find a solution that makes them happy and keeps everyone safe.
Since Alzheimer’s and dementia care providers work with you and your loved one in your home, they are more likely to be able to customize care techniques for your loved one based on what works best for you and him in his home.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care in Denver, CO, please contact the caring staff at Talem Home Care & Placement Services today. Call (720) 789-8529
At Talem Home Care of Broomfield, we provide passionate, understanding, and flexible caregivers in Broomfield, Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Brighton, Commerce City, Denver, Erie, Firestone, Lafayette, Lakewood, Longmont, Louisville, Northglenn, Sherrelwood, Thornton, Welby, Westminster, Wheat Ridge and surrounding areas in Colorado.
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