Bob had always been a very friendly fellow. He was the type of guy who always smiled and talked to everyone. He was that guy who asked the cashier how her day was and was genuinely interested. The whole neighborhood loved him. Bob thought the sun rose and set on his wife, Mimi. She was the love of his life, and he had always been a very loving and gentle husband. But that changed as Bob began struggling with Dementia agitation.

They had been married for over 50 years when Bob was diagnosed with Dementia. Mimi had noticed he was having difficulty in several areas, such as memory, following directions, and poor judgment. But Mimi was not prepared for the changes in his moods and reactions. He became agitated and angry with her often, and it seemed she could do nothing right. Life became very difficult for Mimi.

What is Dementia Agitation?

According to the Medline Medical Encyclopedia, “Agitation is an unpleasant state of extreme arousal. An agitated person may feel stirred up, excited, tense, confused, or irritable”.

According to recent studies, up to 90% of those with Dementia may experience behavioral and psychological symptoms of Dementia, such as psychosis, aggression, agitation, and depression.

So it is very likely, someone with Dementia agitation will show signs of agitation as their disease progresses. Therefore, families and caregivers should be aware of Dementia agitation and try to learn more about it.

What Causes Dementia Agitation?

As the brain changes in someone with Dementia, their ability to recognize body signals declines. They also lose the ability to communicate. As a result, they have difficulty understanding and interpreting the world around them. These changes confuse them and lead to frustration.

Frustration is usually the cause of Dementia agitation, but it can have other triggers. Agitation is a sign that something is wrong. As a Dementia caregiver, you will need to become a Dementia Detective and try to find the cause of the agitation.

The first place to look is for a physical cause. 

• Pain: headache, toothache, bellyache?
• Toileting needs: need to toilet or constipated?
• Hunger/thirst: are food and drinks available?
• Discomforts: soiled underwear or an ingrown toenail?
• Change in routine: person, place, daily routine?
• Noise: too loud?
• Lighting: too bright, too dark?
• Temperature: too hot or too cold?
• Emotions: lonely, afraid
• Sleep: Need more sleep or sleep schedule off?

Often eliminating the cause will also eliminate the behavior.

What Are The Signs of Dementia Agitation?

Your loved one may show signs they are getting agitated. If you can learn to identify the signs of Dementia agitation, you may be able to intervene before the agitation becomes a problem. Here are a few of the most common signs of Dementia agitation:

• Pacing
• Restlessness
• Tense body
• Face tightening/staring/frowning
• Gritting their teeth
• Pursed lips
• Argumentative
• Clenched fists
• Raised voice
• Crying
• Repeating

If you see these signs in someone with Dementia, recognize there is a problem and begin investigating the source. 

What Stage Does Agitation Occur?

 Agitation usually begins in the middle stage, but it depends on what type of Dementia they have. Dementia is different in every person and is highly unpredictable. Many factors can contribute to agitation. Their environment can profoundly affect their moods and how they respond. 

Someone with Dementia who lives in a calm, quiet home with a mellow caregiver may rarely show signs of agitation. On the other hand, a person with Dementia in a noisy house with a grumpy caregiver may be agitated more often.

Agitation often changes into aggressive behavior as they enter the later stage. Especially with hands-on care! This is when they usually start hitting someone trying to clean them up.

What Do You Do If A Dementia Patient Is Agitated?

Alzheimer’s agitation 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.

 PREVENTION IS THE FIRST COURSE OF ACTION AGAINST DEMENTIA 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 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 Dementia Agitation

 Never argue with someone with Alzheimer’s Disease!

Their reasoning ability is gone, and you will only add fuel to the 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.

Once the Problem is Identified and Solved Redirection will often Eliminate The Behavior

 An example I use frequently is a man in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s Disease who 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 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 Dementia 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.

Different music internet channels such as Pandora or Youtube 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 can 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 Dementia agitation.

We now use Lavender aromatherapy at the hospital I work in.

Distraction For Dementia Agitation

Often someone with Dementia agitation can be distracted. I have used this many times in my nursing career.

Distraction is usually my first intervention for agitation after checking to ensure any physical needs have been met.

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 had passed. It was much easier and less stressful 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, Dementia agitation can lead to aggressive behavior that makes them dangerous to themselves or others!

One of my biggest concerns for caregivers at home is caregiver safety. Dementia agitation can lead to aggression and violence if not handled appropriately.  

The caregiver can quickly become a victim.

This happens more often than any of us know. But unfortunately, many people don’t understand the disease process or learn how to diffuse a situation. 

They believe they can still reason with someone with Dementia aggression. 

Please understand, Their Reasoning Ability Is Gone!

I have seen many people with Alzheimer’s Disease admitted to a nursing home because of their aggressive behaviors.

Often the spouse is the only one at home with them, and they have become afraid of them. As a result, they can no longer handle aggressive behaviors.

 Another concern for the caregiver spouse is when the spouse with Dementia aggression hurts the caregiver, and the caregiver is too embarrassed to tell other family members.

All friends & family members should watch 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 Dementia aggression, it is probably time to call the doctor. There are several different medicines available.

Your doctor may need to try a few different ones until he finds which 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! 

Please include the time of day, what led to the agitation/aggression, and what you did to calm them! What interventions worked and what didn’t work? 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.

Solving Dementia Agitation Problems

Need help getting through the frustrating, bouts of Dementia agitation and aggression with your loved one?

I have the solution to help you get through the Dementia agitation phases! The good news is these phases do pass, but the sooner you identify the issues and what actually works for your loved one, the sooner you will get back to a calm, peaceful day!

To solve your loved ones agitation problems, you have to get to the root of the problem! You have to find the WHY!

To find the why, you need to investigate and find what is behind the problem. You need to think who, what, when, where, and why. You need to gather the data, what led to it, when did it happen, why it happened, what did you try, what worked, and what didn’t work.

You have to become a very good detective when you are a dementia caregiver!!

So I created the perfect detective tool for Caregivers called The Caregivers Notebook. 

This tool helps you see the big picture instead of just the daily interactions. This way, you can see the trends in your loved ones’ sleep problems and find the solution quicker.

If you do not already have a dementia documentation system in place, please look at The Caregivers Notebook; it’s a favorite detective tool for Dementia Sleuths.

The Dementia Caregiver Blog Library

Activities, Advanced Directives, Agitation, Apathy, Approach, Apps for Caregivers, Basic Caregiving, Bathing, Bathroom Safety, Caregiver Burnout, Caregiver Compassion, Caregiver Emotions,  Caregiver Help, Caregiver Loneliness, Caregiver Support, Cold & Flu Season,   Communication Challenges, Dehydration, Dementia Complications, Dementia Doctors, Dementia Safety Home,  Dementia Types, Dementia-Friendly, Dressing Issues, Driving Safety, Eating Problems, Fall Prevention, Family Help, Finances,  Guns & Dementia, Harm Prevention, Healthcare, Help at Home, Hiding Dementia, Holidays, Hospice, Hospital Stay, In-Between Stage, Kitchen Safety, Laughter, Legal Healthcare, Marijuana use, Medication Tips, Music, Nutrition, Pain, Patience, Poop Problems, Relationships, Reminiscing, Routine, Safety, Sense of Purpose, Shadowing, Sleep Issues, Stages of Dementia, Sundowning, Television, Time Travel, Traveling,  Toileting, Wandering

Exploring Caregiving Tools & Resources? Don't Forget to Check Out My Resource Page! 🌟