Treatment Guidelines

 
 

Most Recent Dementia Articles

What is Dementia?
The term dementia refers to a severe loss of thinking abilities, especially memory. It occurs most often in later years and is especially frequent in those over age 85. Some memory loss is normal as we age, but dementia is not. Many of us may...
What is Agitation?
Many people with dementia experience emotional distress or behavioral changes best summed up by the term agitation. Very mild agitation may seem like a personality change in which a person acts in ways that are uncharacteristic or inappropriate for...
What Causes Agitation in Dementia?
We will discuss four problems that can cause agitation: physical and medical problems, environmental stresses, sleep problems, and psychiatric syndromes (psychosis, anger and aggression, depression, and anxiety). Remember that, in all these...
Treatment of Agitation in Dementia
How soon should agitation be treated?Agitation should be treated early, because it means the person with dementia is suffering emotionally or physically. Agitation doesn’t go away by itself. Research studies show that it usually persists for 2...
Providing the Right Environment
It is important to evaluate the person’s environment-his or her bedroom, daytime areas, and schedule-to see if any of the following problems may be contributing to agitation:Some individuals become particularly agitated at specific times of the...
Supervising Activities
People who are getting agitated can sometimes feel better if they have something useful or interesting to do. However, they usually need direction to find appropriate activities and to prevent frustration. Here are some suggestions that can help:...