Families and caregivers often find it challenging to understand why people living with dementia experience certain behaviours. However, understanding their experiences could help find the most supportive ways to respond.
Common behaviours associated with dementia
People living with dementia experience changes in mood and behaviour due to changes in the brain caused by the disease. Behaviours may include agitation, confusion, hallucinations, loss of initiative and disorientation or wandering.
Understanding the “why”
Behaviour is usually an attempt to communicate feelings or express an unmet need. There are four areas to consider when determining why behaviour occurs:
- Physical: A sudden change in behaviour could be due to discomfort or pain. People living with dementia may be affected by medications and their side effects, while acute and chronic illnesses could also be reasons for a change in behaviour, so it’s important to discuss your concerns with a health-care provider.
- Environmental: Environmental factors may causepeople living with dementia to feel anxious and overwhelmed. Are the lighting and noise levels overstimulating or distracting? Perhaps the behaviour is because they are in an unfamiliar place, or the furniture has been rearranged in a room they no longer recognize.
- Task-oriented: If certain tasks seem to take a long time to accomplish, they may be too complicated or have too many choices. The person may feel fearful that they could not finish an unfamiliar task.
- Communication: Due to the changes in the brain, the person living with dementia may have difficulties finding words or might confuse two different objects. Remember to slow down, ask your question again, or stick to simple “yes” or “no” questions. Remember to check that hearing aids and eyeglasses are in working order to assist with communication.
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Strategies for responding
Every person living with dementia is unique. Instead of seeing the behaviour as a challenge, it is an opportunity to connect. Here are some suggestions that could help strategically respond to behaviours:
- Validation: Focus on the person’s feelings rather than logic or reasoning. Try to understand and acknowledge the behaviours from the person’s perspective and provide comfort and support.
- Reassurance: Arguments can create frustration between the person living with dementia and their caregivers. Caregivers might find it easiest to offer reassurance and accept the person’s reality to help ease anxiety or uncertainty.
- Redirection: This strategy can be beneficial if, for example, the person is stuck on a task, and family members could redirect to another activity they enjoy such as making a cup of tea together.
The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is here to help anyone with concerns or questions about dementia. Call the Penticton resource centre at