Dealing with aggressive behaviour in a loved one with dementia

With an illness as life changing and debilitating as dementia, people’s personalities can alter, and in particular, grow more angry. This behaviour can be very challenging. So if we want the best possible dementia care in Gloucester, we have to address the elephant in the room. The person you love may also be becoming verbally or physically abusive. Someone with dementia who had not previously been aggressive could develop this trait as part of the illness, and it's not uncommon for people to experience increasing aggression in the later stages of the illness.

So, what’s causing the change? Well, they are the same person they always were, with the same needs and wants, except now, it's harder for them to communicate which results in frustration, anger, confusion and many other emotions that can lead to aggression.  For instance, if they've lost the ability to say the right thing, then saying the wrong, aggressive thing is the only means they have to get what they want. Imagine not being able to put your thirst for a drink into words. How long would it take you to grab someone out of frustration?

We believe that dementia care in Gloucester should take into account what the individual is going through. We realise they might be in pain. Maybe they could be having side effects from medicine, or it might just be that boredom is bringing them down. All of these options should be considered when providing dementia care in Gloucester.

The good news is that there are techniques which can help manage this aggression. Trained professionals look for sources of pain, changes in appetite, and other little things like whether toenails need cutting. Once we have more information, solving the issue can be as simple as talking to the person with reassurance, or managing a fixable issue. Putting music on during aggressive periods can also help. Also, who doesn’t benefit from social interaction with activities, and an opportunity for a good old fashioned chin wag?

Reminiscence can be another very effective treatment. Recalling important times from the person’s life, and reliving an era through song or dance can be very soothing. You may also have heard about animal therapy. That’s actually part of an approach to physically stimulate the person with dementia. So much can be done to provide the required standard of dementia care in Gloucester. Carers can be given support which will enable them to manage this behaviour, employing strategies and techniques that can help.  The important thing is to recognise the problem, and reach out for help.

More source information on this topic can be found here.

Editor’s Note: Bramble Home Care (http://www.bramblehomecare.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.