Tips for Comforting an Alzheimer’s Patient Who is in Distress

June 21 2022

Symptoms and The Cause

Agitation is when a person is restless or worried. You’ll feel like the patient is unable to settle down and it can cause pacing, sleeplessness, or aggression, which is when the patient lashes out verbally or physically to harm someone.

While it might seem that these symptoms turn up for no reason, certain things can trigger these symptoms. This means that if you isolate the cause, you might even be able to help prevent many episodes of distress.

Isolating a Trigger

Some things that may trigger agitation or aggression in dementia patients include:

• Pain
• Depression or stress
• Too little rest or sleep
• Soiled underwear/diaper
• Sudden change in a well-known place, routine, or person
• A feeling of loss
• Too much noise or confusion or too many people in the room (overstimulation)
• Being pushed by others to do something
• Feeling lonely/not having enough contact with other people
• Interaction of medications

To help discover what is triggering your patient or loved one’s distress, keep a journal. Write down each time they are agitated or aggressive and some things that were happening prior to the distress. This can help you recognize patterns and even begin to learn early warning signs of problem behaviors, helping you to comfort the patient before it gets worse.

Tips for Coping with Aggression or Agitation

Before we get into listing some tips for helping patients cope with their distress, it’s first important to understand that if the person with dementia is “imagining” themselves in a particular scenario, it is key that you don’t correct them on what the reality is. For example, if a patient was once a teacher and thinks they are interacting with an unruly student, don’t correct them and tell them that isn’t real. Trying to correct them on this can only cause further distress for them. Instead, follow these tips:

• Reassure the patient. Be sure that you speak calmly and never raise your voice. Listen to their concerns and frustrations. Show empathy and that you understand if they are fearful or angry. Never dismiss someone’s feelings or emotions.
• Allow the patient to keep as much control over their personal life as is safely reasonable. Be sure to keep them from getting into dangerous situations, like wandering around outside where they could get lost or hurt. Installing a home alarm system that notifies you when a door is opened can help you keep an eye on the patient and direct them back inside if they manage to wander outside.
• Keep to a routine, such as bathing, dressing, and eating at the same time each day. Sticking to a routine can help cut down on confusion.
• Build quiet time into the daily routine, along with activities. Quiet time can help the patient from becoming overwhelmed and overstimulated.
• Reduce noise, clutter, and the number of people in the room. Again, this can help the patient from becoming overstimulated.
• Keep well-loved objects and photographs around the house to help the patient feel more secure. Removing items, even if they seem trivial to you, can set off agitation or aggression.
• If you notice the patient starting to feel distressed try gentle touching, soothing music, reading, or going for a walk in a quiet place together. You can also use the art of distraction, such as offering the person a favorite snack, object, or activity to redirect them.
• Limit the amount of caffeine, sugar, and junk food the patient consumes.

Alzheimer’s and dementia patients can also pick up on your own mood. If you feel like your own worries may be affecting the patient, slow down and try to relax. It’s also important to take a break from caregiving. As a professional caregiver, be sure to take advantage of your days off and vacation time. For family caregivers, take advantage of respite care and accept help from family and friends.