“Part 2. When your loved one changes...coping with Alzheimer's Disease”

Coping With Alzheimer's Disease

It's important to remember that the disease, not the person with Alzheimer's Disease, causes these changes.

Part. 2 Changes in personality and behavior

Because Alzheilmer's Disease causes brain cells to die, the brain works less well over time. This changes how a person acts. You will notice that he or she will have good days and bad days.

Here are some common personality changes you may see:

• Getting upset, worried, and angry more easily
• Acting depressed or not interested in things
• Hiding things or believing other people are hiding things
• Imagining things that aren't there
• Wandering away from home
• Pacing a lot of the time
• Showing unusual sexual behavior
• Hitting you or other people
• Misunderstanding what he or she sees or hears

Also, you may notice that the person stops caring about how he or she looks, stops bathing, and wants to wear the same clothes every day.

Other factors that may affect how people with Alzheimer's Disease behave

In addition to changes in the brain, the following things may affect how people with Alzheilmer's Disease behave.
How they feel:

• Sadness, fear, or a feeling of being overwhelmed
• Stress caused by something or someone
• Confusion after a change in routine, including travel
• Anxiety about going to a certain place

Health-related problems:

• Illness or pain
• New medications
• Lack of sleep
• Infections, constipation, hunger, or thirst
• Poor eyesight or hearing
• Alcohol abuse
• Too much caffeine

Problems in their surroundings:

• Being in a place he or she doesn't know well.
• Too much noise, such as TV, radio, or many people talking at once. Noise can cause confusion or frustration.
• Stepping from one type of flooring to another. The change in texture or the way the floor looks may make the person think he or she needs to take a step down.
• Misunderstanding signs.
• Some signs may cause confusion. For example, one person with Alzheimer's Disease thought a sign reading "wet floor" meant he should urinate on the floor.
• Mirrors.
• Someone with Alzheilmer's Disease may think that a mirror image is another person in the room.

How to cope with personality and behavior changes

Read more HERE


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