Watching your elderly family member lose memories, struggle with everyday tasks, or become confused about time and place because of Alzheimer’s is deeply heartbreaking.
Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia, causes changes in the brain, leading to symptoms like memory loss, confusion, and cognitive decline. You’re not alone in this path. An estimated 7.2 million families in the United States are walking a similar path.
As a caregiver, managing the behavioral changes, such as agitation or pacing, that come with this condition is often the most difficult part. These are the result of a brain undergoing significant physical transformation.
To make it easier for you to manage behavioral changes in an elderly family member with Alzheimer’s, here are a few tips:
1. Identify Triggers Behind the Behavior
Understanding what sets off certain behaviors is the most vital skill you can develop. As the brain of a senior with Alzheimer's struggles to process information, things that seem small to others can feel overwhelming to them.
One of the most frequent yet overlooked triggers for behavioral changes in seniors with Alzheimer’s is physical discomfort. As the disease impairs the linguistic and cognitive ability to articulate pain, individuals may express distress through agitation, pacing, or yelling.
Urinary tract infections are common among people living with dementia. Research published in ScienceDirect confirms that the rate of UTI diagnoses is 93% higher among people living with dementia. If your elderly family member is also experiencing a UTI, there could be a sudden increase in confusion and agitation.
Medication side effects and drug-to-drug interactions also pose a significant risk to behavioral stability. Polypharmacy in the elderly can lead to over-sedation and increase confusion or tremors, all of which may trigger fear-based reactions in the patient.
2. Use Gentle Redirection Instead of Confrontation
When a senior with Alzheimer's becomes upset or fixated on a wrong idea, the natural human response is to try to correct them with facts. However, the analysis shows that logic and reasoning do not work for someone whose brain is losing those functions.
Alzheimer’s destroys the parts of the brain responsible for short-term memory and rational thinking. Arguing only makes the person more upset and can lead to dangerous situations.
Avoid the reality trap. If your elderly family member thinks they are late for work, don't correct them.
Correcting them feels like an attack, which triggers a fear response in the brain. Redirection avoids this conflict by moving the person's attention to something else without telling them they are wrong.
Channel restless energy into purposeful play. Give them a stack of towels to fold or papers to organize to satisfy their professional instinct.
To master the art of redirection, remember the 4 R's. Reassure the individual, maintain a consistent routine, reminisce about positive memories, and finally, redirect their focus to a calming activity.
3. Look into Validation Therapy
For decades, the standard advice was to keep seniors oriented to reality. But forcing someone with cognitive decline to live in reality can be traumatic.
Instead of pulling someone back into reality, step into theirs. Validation therapy does just that. When someone with Alzheimer’s says something untrue or lives in a different time period, they are not lying. Their brain is retrieving memories differently. Correcting them can feel like being told their experience is wrong.
Understanding the psychological nuances of aging is tough. Consulting with professionals who have specialized training makes a world of difference.
Walsh University notes that jobs for mental health counselors are growing faster than average, with those holding a Master's degree seeing the highest demand.
Interestingly, many practitioners who support these families have transitioned into the field through clinical mental health counseling programs online.
Online programs allow them to gain advanced expertise in geriatric psychology and family systems while remaining active in their communities. These professionals help seniors feel heard rather than corrected. They understand that beneath every incorrect statement is often a very real emotion, such as fear, longing, responsibility, or confusion.
4. Respond to Paranoia and Hallucinations Gently
Research shows that 34% to 63% of dementia patients experience psychotic symptoms, like paranoia and hallucinations.
Hallucination is when someone sees, hears, or smells something that is not there. Paranoia is a type of delusion where the person believes people are out to get them or are stealing from them.
Hallucinations are often caused by the brain misinterpreting what it sees. If a senior sees bugs on a patterned rug, they are not lying. Their brain truly believes the patterns are bugs. Paranoia often comes from memory loss. If a person cannot remember where they put their glasses, they may believe someone stole them.
The most important rule in managing paranoia and hallucinations is to avoid arguing about the reality of the experience.
Focus on providing comfort and reassurance instead. If they are frightened, make them feel safe. Moving them to a different room or engaging in a sensory activity can often cause the hallucination to dissipate.
Dementia-related paranoia is best handled through partnership. Offer to search together for stolen items, and keep spare keys or wallets nearby to ensure the search ends with a successful and comforting discovery.
Managing behavioral changes in seniors with Alzheimer’s is not about control but compassion, patience, and adaptation.
You can’t stop the disease from progressing, but you can influence the environment. You can soften fear, reduce triggers, and create moments of comfort. Most importantly, you can remind your loved one that they are safe and not alone.
Memories may fail, but the language of a gentle hand and a kind word is always understood. So, take the time to learn these techniques, and you can show your elderly family member with Alzheimer’s just how much you care.
