1. Learn from what happened After giving yourself a chance to calm down and de-stress from the episode of aggressive dementia behavior, take a step back to see what you can learn from the situation.
Analyzing the situation also helps you take it a little less personally and makes it easier to think about what you could do differently next time to try to avoid an aggressive reaction.
Think about possible triggers, which responses helped calm things down, and which responses seemed to make the situation worse.
It often helps to take notes on your observations to see if you can spot patterns or figure out new ways to try to prevent a similar outburst in the future or cool things down if it does happen.
2. Find sources of support It’s essential for your well-being to talk with people who understand and can help you cope with these tough situations and deal with the conflicting emotions.
Share your experiences with members of a caregiver support group, a counselor or therapist, or with supportive friends or family members.
Getting your feelings out is an important outlet for stress. Plus, you might get additional tips and ideas for managing aggressive dementia behavior from others who have dealt with it.
3. Consider medication When non-drug techniques aren’t working and challenging behaviors become too much to safely handle, it might be time to work with their doctor to carefully experiment with behavioral medications.
When used appropriately, medication can curb dangerous aggression and improve quality of life for both your older adult and yourself.
4. Consider moving your older adult to a memory care community If the aggressive behavior in dementia continues to be dangerous and no interventions are working, it may be time to consider moving them to a memory care community.
A specialized care community can be helpful because there are multiple staff members on duty at all times, there’s 24/7 supervision and care, and they’re trained to handle these types of difficult situations.
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