When a Loved One Gets Violent

The caring for a loved one with Alzheimers or dementia is difficult enough. Now add violence to the mix-it's just gotten more difficult. Anger, violence, temper tantrums---these are all very real possibilities, perhaps probabilities, when dealing with these terrible diseases. The personality of someone we know can drastically change as Alzheimers and dementia progress. I have personally dealt with this as my mother became, shall we say, articulately profane. She was never one to use profanity or swear words - that is, until her dementia was in the latter stage and she had some small strokes. Suddenly, it was as if a completely different person was using her mouth. One minute, she was swearing at my father, my siblings, me, her caregivers, her doctor and nurses; the next, she didn't remember speaking those words. For my mother, I got her to her doctor and he was able to medicate her. This was of tremendous help and although I do not believe in medicating to the point of catatonia, the medications he prescribed for her helped her live a much calmer, more enjoyable life. Yes, it took some time to get the right prescriptions to work for her. We had to pass on the newest medication at the time due to its likely side effect of kidney stones. But we kept working together with her doctor and finally achieved a level of comfort for her. The attached article from CNN helps to explain this aspect of the diseases and gives some tips for dealing with this change. I hope it can help someone out there. When Alzheimer's turns violent - CNN.com