How to Care for Aggressive Seniors and Elderly at Home
Aggressive Behavior in the Elderly
How to care for aggressive Seniors and the elderly at home. Managing challenging behavior in the elderly in the home care setting is very important. Challenging behavior in the elderly can put them or those around them at risk. The risk can be serious when it involves physical aggression. Elderly that exhibits challenging behavior are over time become more and more difficult for the caregivers to manage. Aggression in the elderly is normally a sign of physiological changes that are happening in their brain. These changes may include degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or symptoms that are associated with stroke. Other causes could include depression that is quite common in the elderly. Physical discomfort and difficulty in communication or comprehension can exaggerate the challenging behavior. Challenging behavior may also include descriptiveness that could impact day to day activities of the person and the caregiver.
How to care for the elderly with a challenging behavior
Unfortunately for caregivers, There is no quick fix to solve the challenging behavior but there are some tips that could lead to a more positive outcome;
- Make sure that their basic needs are met. What I mean by basic needs is food, toileting, cleanliness, the right temperature, quiet surrounding without excess stimuli (loud TV, Radio, excess light).
- Anxiety, chronic pain, and discomfort can lead to challenging behavior if the and old person is not able to express it.
- When caring for someone who is aggressive, keep a safe distance, and lower the volume and pitch of your own voice. An argument with a person that has challenging behavior can quickly escalate and lead to a physical outburst.
- Find out if they need to use the bathroom or offer a favorite snack or treats.
- Keep a diary of the behaviors, the frequency, timing, and triggers.
- Communicate your findings with a medical practitioner. There are tests that can help to accurately diagnose the underlying illness. You will find medications to be an important part of managing challenging behavior.
- Finally seek professional help from other health professionals and government agencies.
Take care of yourself
As a caregiver, you need to seek support for yourself. The long-term effect of caring for someone who has a challenging behavior can be quite destructive to your own health. You do need to come up with a plan that allows you to get a break from daily stresses. Respite care may be available through government services or private home care service providers. You also need to seek help from friends and family members for emotional support.
If you have any questions or would like to talk to a nurse about home care services, please call All Nursing Health Services Inc at (604 488 9323) or email us at info@allnursing.ca