Dementia is a common condition among older adults with no known cure. People suffering from dementia often experience feelings of agitation and anxiety as the disease progresses. They may fear losing their memory and thinking skills, as well as losing who they are.
Various factors can cause these feelings and behaviour, including factors such as a change of environment, pain, noise, or simply a bad day. Knowing what to do in such instances is critical in ensuring the situation doesn’t get worse.
Here are some great ways you can calm and agitate a dementia patient down;
Stay calm
Agitation and aggression are contagious. When you’re talking to an angry person, it is natural to feel upset yourself. It is a phenomenon called mirroring.
When you take a deep breath, calm yourself, and demonstrate calmness, you can help your loved one feel safe and reassured. You can take a step back to see if you can identify the cause of the agitation. It could be a tense mood in the room or something else. Being able to identify the cause of the agitation can help you eliminate the cause.
During such a time, it is important to understand that your loved one is not trying to give you a hard time; he is struggling as much as you are.
Slow down
Besides calming down, you need to slow down when calming down an agitated patient. You need to stop what you are doing and listen to what your loved one is saying, even if it doesn’t make sense. Don’t try to correct them; it only adds conflict.
Try to take a deep breath and remember any good memories you share with your loved one. Smile gently and try to ask for permission for what you need to do or offer help. Making positive requests, such as “Will you walk with me to the store?” can help to improve the condition.
It is easy for people with dementia to be overwhelmed by overstimulation or frustration. Instead of rushing in with more ideas, it’s better to take a pause. Silence gives your loved one time to think and figure out what they are trying to say first.
Focus on feelings, not facts
Dementia patients often impact a person’s ability to reason and speak, but their feelings remain strong. You need to appeal to their feelings instead of their words. Trying to argue with the person only leads to more frustration.
Instead, listen to their expression to understand the basis of their frustration. They might make a statement like, “I need the car to drive to the ball!!” Responding with, “I will take you out in the car today to what you need,” can help calm down and relax the situation.
Validate their feelings
Validating your loved one’s feelings is an excellent way of making them feel heard and understood. It also helps to decrease their agitated emotions. The validation method is a tool that can be used to improve communication and understand the emotions your loved one is experiencing. You can agree on their perception of reality more easily without lying. One way to do this is to ask general questions about what the patient is trying to say to you.
Check for underlying causes of discomfort
Fidgeting, restlessness, difficulty getting comfortable, or irritability can all trigger a fit of agitation in a person with dementia. If your loved one is physically comfortable, they are less likely to become agitated and distressed. Some common signs to look out for include:
- Are they thirsty?
- Are they hungry?
- Is there an infection?
- Are they uncomfortable in their clothing?
- When did they last have a bowel movement?
Refocus their attention on something else
If you notice your loved one is starting to feel agitated or distressed, take note of the current surroundings and what might be triggering their emotional response in your loved one. Look out for things like the conversation and refocus their attention to something else.
Offer verbal reassurance
It is important to give verbal reassurance to a person with dementia so they feel understood and listened to. It can be difficult for people with dementia to express their new perception of reality. By offering verbal reassurance, you can respect their feelings and continue to treat them with dignity and respect.
Remove possible triggers
It is important to ensure your loved one with dementia is set up for success. You should limit distractions and remove any potential triggers from their surroundings. People with dementia can become overstimulated by background noises, clutter, bright lights or a lot of people. Reducing the number of non-essential items is a great way to promote feelings of calm in a home.
Creating a calm environment helps reduce potential restlessness or distress in your loved one and makes them feel more comfortable.
Take the person to a more calming environment
If you notice the patient is not calming down or is still distressed, it can be helpful to remove them from the situation and bring them to a more calming environment with fewer distractions.
If you’re in a bright room with lots of clutter or distracting patterns, moving to a simplified room with one or two personal pictures can make a lot of difference for a person with dementia.
Offer physical touch
It can be challenging to be at the receiving end of your loved one’s sudden outburst. However, it is important to remember that your loved one cannot control the intensity of their feelings. A great way to connect with them when they are feeling scared, confused or angry is to use senses such as physical touch. Methods such as brushing their hair, hugging them, offering them a massage or taking them for a walk are all great ways of connecting with them and reducing their feeling of agitation or distress.
Conclusion
Knowing how to manage the situation when your loved one with dementia becomes agitated can be crucial. Not only will it help you connect with them and reduce the chances of distress and agitation, but it also creates the right environment for them to thrive.