why does alzheimer’s increase the likelihood of aggression/anger in older people?
In: 263
Answering from a locked unit in long term care. A big issue is the fact that a lot of them don’t have any idea where they are and the fact that they need help. Imagine someone trying to undress you and get you wiped up, touching all your special parts, and you thinking it’s a random stranger. And to take it a step further imagine someone random handing you a med cup full of different medications and you’re heavily advised to take them, a lot of time with little explanation what it is. Generally this is mostly an issue with the later stages of dementia (of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form) since they have the most issues remembering who people are. Once their mental state has decreased to such a level a lot of them can think they are being punished, and I have residents ask if they are in jail at least once a week. To give a much more simplified answer, they are confused, and when people get confused their fight or flight kicks in, some of them give in to your requests out of fear, while some take matters into their own hands.
Edit to add, most people that have dementia have a much higher likelihood to have depression and anxiety, and when they are still able to perceive that they are actively going downhill that can make it mentally devastating to even go in with life, that can either manifest in anger or just completely giving up.
Latest Answers