Alzheimer’s Agitation, Anger, and Aggression:
How to handle it!
Alzheimer’s agitation, anger, and aggression can be very difficult for family members. Especially when this behavior is totally out of character from the person they were before the disease took over.
The main cause of these behaviors is usually frustration, but they can have other triggers. This behavior will often just appear out of the blue.
Alzheimer’s agitation can be caused by several different things, especially if they are unable to recognize what is irritating them. They may be hungry, thirsty, cold, hot, tired, pain, or there is too much stimulation around them.
Prevention is the first course of action against Alzheimer’s Agitation!
Learn what triggers the behaviors and try to eliminate the trigger.
Maintain a calm environment. Listen to them if they are still able to talk.
Always remain calm, keep your voice as soft as possible, and try to understand and solve the problem.
Learn what you can do to appear non-threatening.
When they are agitated, you should stand sideways instead of face to face.
Always keep 2-3 feet of space in between you and the aggressive person.
Use calming phrases such as, “I understand”, “how can I help you”, and “everything will be OK”.
Interventions for Alzheimer’s Agitation
Never argue with someone with Alzheimer’s Disease!
Their reasoning ability is gone and you will only add fuel to a fire you can’t control.
Your goal is to find the cause of the agitation and diffuse the situation.
Arguing with the agitated person will cause them to become more frustrated and agitated
Redirection will often eliminate the behavior
An example I use frequently is: a man in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s Disease occasionally wants his car. He gets agitated and aggressive very easily. I tell him his daughter took the car in for an oil change and she will bring it back when it is done. He fusses for a minute and I redirect him to watch a movie while he waits for her. After a few minutes, he completely forgets about the car.
Calm, relaxing music can prevent Alzheimer’s Agitation
Try to keep this type of music playing in the background of your home. The music can help keep your family member from becoming agitated.
The more mellow the music the stronger the calming effect is.
Try different types of music to find which ones work best.
There are different music internet channels such as Pandora, that allow you to build a playlist of songs. You can have a couple of different playlists to switch back and forth.
There are also several natural calming ingredients that you may want to try. You can find them at your local health food store or online.
Aromatherapy is another method used to help keep a calm relaxing atmosphere in the home. There have been several studies on Dementia patients and aromatherapy.
Lavender and Lemon Balm have been found to have the best results for Alzheimer’s agitation.
We now use Lavender aromatherapy at the hospital I work in.
Distraction for Alzheimer’s Agitation
Often someone with Alzheimer’s agitation can be distracted. I have used this many times in my nursing career.
Distraction is usually my first intervention for agitation.
I have used a phone many times to distract someone.
I have had agitated patients looking for a deceased spouse and they didn’t remember their spouse was deceased. It was much easier and less stressful for them for me to distract them with a phone. I would hand them a phone, dial a number to an empty office and let them listen to the phone ringing for a while.
Remember Alzheimer’s Agitation and anger can quickly lead to aggressive behavior!
One of my biggest concerns for caregivers at home is caregiver safety. Alzheimer’s agitation can lead to violence if not handled appropriately.
The caregiver can easily become a victim.
I believe this happens more often than any of us know.
Many people don’t understand the disease process or know how to diffuse a situation.
They believe they can still reason with someone with Alzheimer’s agitation. This is not the case!
I have seen many people with Alzheimer’s Disease admitted to a nursing home because of their aggressive behaviors.
Often the only one at home with them is the spouse and they have become afraid of them. They are no longer able to handle the aggressive behaviors.
The spouse with Alzheimer’s agitation & aggression hurts the caregiver and the caregiver is often too embarrassed to tell other family members.
All friends & family members should keep an eye out for the safety of the primary caregiver in the home!
The good news is, there are medications available to help control aggressiveness.
If you are living with someone who has Alzheimer’s with aggressive behaviors, you need to make sure your doctor is aware of the aggression.
If you have tried the other methods and are still having problems with Alzheimer’s agitation it is probably time to call the doctor. There are several different medicines available.
Your doctor may need to try a couple of different ones until he finds which one works best for your family member.
Make sure you keep your doctor informed of behaviors and whether medicines are helping or not.
It is very important you write down descriptions of agitation and aggressive behavior! This includes what time of day, what led to the agitation/aggression, and what you did to calm them! Are they getting better or worse?
All episodes of agitation and aggression should be tracked and reviewed with your doctor. The description and frequency of the behavior will help your doctor determine what type of medicine is needed.
Feel free to explore our Article Library for more information and resource
Exploring Caregiving Tools & Resources? Don't Forget to Check Out My Resource Page! 🌟
