Young businessman holding a cardboard with a smiley face on it i
18th Nov

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1 in 9 Americans age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease. With such high prevalence, most of us have been touched by this disease either personally and/or professionally.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys all cognitive abilities, eventually leading a person to be unable to carry out the most basic of tasks. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can affect a person’s ability to understand information and make their needs known. This can result in confusion, irritation/agitation, stubbornness, and argumentative and verbally abusive behavior. By understanding this, we can utilize some simple strategies to help manage and prevent difficult behaviors in residents with Alzheimer’s/dementia.

Approach with care

·         People, including those with dementia, are usually uncomfortable when others get too close. Respect their need for personal space.

·         If you are going to touch someone, first tell them what you are going to do.

·         Residents with dementia are especially sensitive to nonverbal cues. Smile reassuringly and use gentle touch to calm the resident.

 

Be aware of paraverbal communication

·         Paraverbal communication is the tone, volume, rate, and rhythm of your speech.

·         Similar statements can have completely different meanings based on paraverbals used.

·         Be sure paraverbal communication is consistent with the message you want to send.

 

Call the resident by name and introduce yourself

·         Calling the resident by their name helps get their attention.

·         Remind the resident who you are – if you ask them to identify you, you may increase frustration and agitation.

 

Keep it short and simple

·         Give directives one step at a time.

·         State what you want the resident to do and show them at the same time.

·         It can take up to 30 seconds for a resident with dementia to process information and respond.

 

Don’t argue

·         Try to understand how the resident is feeling rather than argue the facts of a situation.

·         Fear and confusion can often affect behavior.

 

Be flexible

·         Offer choices when possible.

·         Try to remember personal preferences.

·         When you encounter resistance, try a different approach.

Melissa Ward

Director of Clinical Services

 

Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>