Behavioural Changes for People with Alzheimer’s

Finding behavioural changes for people with Alzheimer’s can be the most difficult experience for everyone. The behavioural symptoms vary from individuals depending on how progressive the deterioration of the brain cells. In addition, medication, environmental influences and some medical conditions are factors that can also cause or make the symptoms worse. Below are a  few of the behaviours a person with Alzheimer’s may experience.

Anxiety

People with the disease can easily be agitated for plenty of reasons. It is mainly the result of feeling a loss of control with almost everything. Tracking the senior’s activities and moods can be helpful to discern what triggers their anxieties and how to manage them.

Repetition

Repetitive actions like saying or doing the same thing over and over again is another behaviour people with Alzheimer’s may experience. It is known to be an annoying behaviour triggered by boredom, anxiety or fear. Repetition serves as a way of seeking comfort or familiarity for them.

Paranoia

Paranoid behaviour can be one of the difficult behaviours to deal with. People with dementia are suspicious towards their caregivers or even loved ones which puts their carers in a challenging situation.

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Anxiety, depression, irritability are the most common behavioural changes in the early stages of the disease. Eventually, people with Alzheimer’s will experience other symptoms in later stages including aggression, agitation, general emotional distress, physical or verbal outbursts, hallucinations, delusions, restlessness and sleep disturbances. Change can be stressful for anyone but learning about them ahead of time can make things a lot easier.

Moreover, it is important to identify what are the situations that can trigger the behavioural symptoms. By doing so, it can aid in choosing the best approach to deal with unpredictable behaviours. Changes in a familiar environment and misperceived threats are frequent situations that affect the behaviour of a person. It is also highly recommended to receive a scrupulous medical evaluation to determine the contributing factors about the behaviour.