There are so many symptoms and side effects that come along with Alzheimer’s, the irreversible disease that affects about 5.2 million Americans. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s and its symptoms, there are ways to treat them. One of the symptoms, or side effects of Alzheimer’s is aggression. Aggression usually comes along in the later stages of Alzheimer’s, and no one knows why it happens. They can lash out for no clear reason, and they may get upset or angry very easily. They will push away caretakers, scream and yell insults. It is important to remember that the person who has this aggression is not doing it on purpose. It may be a reaction to feeling confused and frustrated. Although this symptom can be incredibly hard to seal with, there are things that you can do to make the patient feel better, and to keep this aggressive outbursts from happening.
There are triggers that can cause Alzheimer’s aggression, although there is no one known cause. You can spot the triggers before or during a problem, and knowing that these triggers are can help you avoid or get rid of these specific triggers before it happens again. Common triggers include: the environment around the Alzheimer’s patient, which can include room much activity or clutter, and even loud noises and confusion, which can come from being asked too many questions at once, or trying to understand complex instructions, and discomfort, which can come from side effects of medication, pain, or lack of sleep.
Once you understand these triggers, it will be easier to avoid an aggressive outburst in the future. You should take some steps to ease the aggression, and make having Alzheimer’s easy on the person being affected. Make sure not to ask too many questions at once. This can confuse the person, and they can get frustrated. Give relatively easy instructions instead of ones that are complex. Again, the person can get confused and lash out. If a person with Alzheimer’s says something that is not true, or is completely wrong, do not argue or challenge them about it. People with Alzheimer’s see a different reality than we do. Instead of arguing, ask simple questions about it, but make sure to avoid asking too many questions at once.
Instead of constantly reminding someone to do daily activities, you can leave notes around the house. As Alzheimer’s progresses, remembering to daily activities can become difficult. By leaving notes around the house, you can avoid the frustration a person may feel for forgetting to do something. Another thing you can try to do is to avoid asking a person questions about what happened recently. Alzheimer’s affects short-term memory, so it may be easier to ask them about the past, rather than something they ate yesterday, or something they saw on TV earlier that week.
You should always take care of yourself, too. Taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s can be a tasking thing to deal with on a daily basis. If it becomes too overwhelming, get help, or tell someone that you are getting depressed. If you are not taking care yourself, you will not be able to take care of anybody else.