My Alzheimer's Journey
Part 107 - Alzheimer’s Caregivers Tips: Managing Personality and Behavior Changes
Without actually proof (just my gut feeling), the majority of the questions posted in the Alzheimer’s community of Reddit are from caregiver’s struggling to deal with personality and behavior changes of their loved one. Some of the situations are really sad. Many of the stories show a scenario that is dangerous for the caregiver. The one common thread is heartbreak.
I had my twelfth Lecanemab infusion today. As is typical for me, I napped most of the afternoon. The behavior must be like an alcoholic sleeping off a bender. I sleep off my infusions.
I woke up from my long nap thinking about a particularly difficult caregiver situation I read about last night on Reddit. For privacy reasons, I am not going into detail about the Reddit post. In summary, the situation was an adult child trying to deal with continual anger from a parent with Alzheimer’s.
People with Alzheimer’s disease often become agitated or aggressive as the disease gets worse. Agitation means that a person is restless and worried, and they aren’t able to settle down.
Studies suggest that something triggers the agitation. It happens for a reason. Determining the cause of the agitation will help the caregiver to manage the situation before full-blown aggressive anger develops.
Some common causes of agitation and aggression are:
Pain, depression, or stress
UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections)
Constipation
Sudden environmental changes
Losing the ability to drive, go to a favorite place, or visit friends
Too much noise or confusion in their room
Being forced (pressured) to take a bath or other activity that is uncomfortable or painful
Feeling lonely
Reactions to medication or combination of medications
Because this is such an important issue that all caregivers must face, I want to carefully and thoroughly discuss these common causes and the best practices for managing the resulting behavior. Starting tomorrow, I will begin this discussion.
A few days ago, I designed a shirt that I hope many of you will appreciate. Tomorrow I will create other garments and accessories with the same graphic.
Thank you for your continued support.