Probably
the most difficult aspect of dealing with someone with Alzheimer’s is coping
with occasional physical aggression.
Understand
that the person’s inability to communicate effectively causes frustration and
resulting acting out. Keep things simple in both communication and environment,
and that will probably diminish aggressive or angry conduct. Interestingly, it
also appears that over-stimulation can generate an aggressive reaction. The
best approach, again, is to keep life as simple as possible for the person.
Unfamiliar events or surroundings can be very confusing and upsetting to a
person with Alzheimer’s, and those feelings can result in a physical lashing-out.
Consider
that when memory is lost, it is only immediate emotions that matter. Memory is
no longer available to provide the individual with guidance as to what conduct
is appropriate and what’s not. In a very literal sense, people with Alzheimer’s
typically live in the moment. That’s all that matters. There is no sense of
what happened 15 minutes ago or what is likely to happen 15 minutes hence.
