- Introduction
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Prevention
-
Caregiving
- Coping with Emotional Changes
- Coping with Memory Loss
- Costs and Insurance
- Creating a Daily Routine
- Exercise
- Health and Wellbeing of the Caregiver
- Home Safety Adjustments
- Mental Exercises
- Respite Care
- Talking to Children about Alzheimer's
- Talking to Friends about Alzheimer's
- Telling Someone They Have Alzheimer's
- Transition to Assisted Living
- Transition to Nursing Home
- Work
- Related Conditions
- Resources
Q: What does the Alzheimer's patient "feel" or what are they aware of when they are violent? My Mother has just become aggressive and I can't find info on what the patient is thinking and/or feeling.
Hi, Ccrelly,
I had an aha moment when watching a DVD by Teepa Snow while describes what's going on in the brain when a person lashes out. I wrote about the DVD in a sharepost and would encourage you to get ahold of a copy.
Take care and keep us posted!
Dorian
Hi crrelly,
My father-in-law has stage 6 late Alzheimer's. It all depends on the stage - early or moderate or late. Moderate stage is the hardest one when he got mad and upset and so on.
Normally the reason behind being violent is that he cannot get what he wants. If he wants soup and you don't give him another bowl after he had one, he could get upset with you and make a big deal to get out of the house wanting to tell the neighbors about this "abuse". The reason here is he forgot that he had one full bowl of soup. Also he probably liked it very much and we were out of it. It happened. We had to call another caregiver to take him back in and calm him down with other soup.
In the hospital, he got irritated a lot if he was hospitalized. He wants to escape at night and he refused the IV and etc. If he is forced to be hurt by hospital procedure, he gets mad.
If my husband didn't come downstiairs soon enough to satisfy his Dad by listening to his Dad's nonesense about "work", his Dad would get mad and demanded that my husband come downstaris...
There can be many reasons. Of course, if the patient has UTI or is on some severe medications, he/she may be violent too because the person feels very bad physically. If you don't live in his world and talk to him in his own way/logic, he gets mad at you too.
They are probably aware that they are violent but they are just trying to defend themselves. They think they are right and other people are all wrong. They are too confused to know what is going on. They think other people are mean so they have to defend themselves.
In very late stage, he may still get very violent but his weakness may not allow him to do so. They would get very violent when they are ambulatory.
You also asked what your Mom is going through. Well as a patient with Alzheimer's, she gets confused all the time. She may not be aware that she is locked in the nursing home unless you bother to tell her. She cannot reason anymore as her memory is all mixed up. She would not understand why certains things happen. The only way to make her happy or calm is to make her content. If she is satisfied that there is nothing to confuse her and no one bothers to "reason" with her, then she can be content. That is why people like my FIL who is in the residential home now are more calm or content due to the structure/programs/acitivites/peers at the new home.
In a private home with family, things only confuse the elderly and that is why they are more upset at home. If they are in the memory unit, they are more calm once they get used to the new place.
How to cope with them? Live in their own world. Try to soothe her in her own world or logic. Distract her and get her involved with the activites she loves.
Don't make it hard; just make it a simple task.
Hope this helps,
Nina
You asked if she feels embarrassed. Yes she would if someone picks on her disability and memory loss. if someone else has to bathe her, she would be embarrassed. That is why sometimes she may not let people help her wash. When the elders get embarrassed, they get angry actually to protect themselves.
I don't think they understand the embarrassment like us, but if she feels violated, she would be mad too.
I think violence or anger is just the reaction when the elder feels confused or violated/offended.
Regards,
Nina
I believe the frustration and confusion of not understanding their surroundings is a great part of the aggession. We have to do our best to calm them by "getting into their world." Of course, that doesn't always work, but we can try to figure it out.
No one can really know the unique thoughts of another person, but I feel it's best to try to put oneself in the person's place. How would you feel under the circumstances? Then try to mitigate unpleasant surroundings by playing soothing music, using gentle touch and talking to the person whether or not they can respond. It's all very difficult. Their "reasoning" won't be like yours or mine. All we can do is try. Compassion is key.
Blessings and take care of yourself, too.
Carol
This is an interesting question. In the very early stages of the disease, an individual may have insight into the changes he or she may be experiencing. The individual may be able to verbally share the experience and process in some way what is happening. However, as the disease progresses into the more middle stages, the ability to have insight is affected by the progressing brain deterioration. Short-term memory is also affected, making it unlikely that your mother, for example, would be able to remember bouts of aggression or emotional outbursts from earlier in the day or even a few minutes ago. Further, your mother's judgment is likely also becoming more impaired, which affects her ability to understand the implications of her actions and behaviors. It may be helpful to consider that these types of behavioral changes are symptoms of the disease, and that your mother is not aware or necessarily in control of what she is doing. This perspective might allow you to more easily divorce the behaviors and actions of the disease from the person. It is also important to discuss aggression or other behavioral changes with your mother's physician.
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