November 15, 2011

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease can be stressful, but there are many tips to help in the journey. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, oftentimes the person with Alzheimer’s cannot express how he or she feels with words and instead communicates feelings through behavior. Successfully dealing with problem behaviors in persons with Alzheimer’s disease begins by first identifying the cause or “trigger” of the behavior. Questions to think about include: What happened just before the behavior started? Where did the behavior happen? What happened right after the behavior? It is important to react calmly and reassuringly. Then to help avoid that behavior trigger or potential stressor in the future, the environment or caregiving atmosphere can be modified accordingly.

Click here to read about common causes of and supportive responses to Alzheimer’s-related behaviors.