For people taking care of elderly parents with Alzheimer's or
dementia, one of the biggest challenges is dealing with
outbursts of agitation and aggression. Techniques for managing
Alzheimer's aggression such as re-directing the person's
attention or medication can certainly help. But Cindy Steele, an
RN and Nurse Scholar for Copper Ridge, a residential care
community, says the key is finding out what is causing the
outburst. "Dismissing aggression as a normal behavior associated
with Alzheimer's doesn't enable the caregiver to fix whatever is
causing the outburst. Why do they seem to get upset? What causes
it?" says Steele, who focuses on behavior management for
Alzheimer's and dementia. Find an Alzheimer's Care Community »
She says agitation and aggression are typically caused by one or
more of these five factors: Sometimes caregivers overestimate
what their parent with Alzheimer's or dementia is capable of
accomplishing. If a person with Alzheimer's is asked to do a
task, and they are not able to complete