Brough to you by the ASPECT™ clinical research study

Alzheimer’s dementia is most commonly associated with memory loss, but this form of dementia causes other significant symptoms as well. One of the most prevalent of these symptoms is agitation.

If you care for someone with agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia, you understand the challenges involved in managing this condition. By better understanding the causes of agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia, you can adopt strategies to prevent and minimize your loved one’s agitation throughout the day.

What Causes Agitation Associated with Alzheimer’s Dementia?

The International Psychogeriatric Association defines agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia as the display of excessive motor activity, physical aggression, or verbal aggression. Agitation often develops in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s dementia. When a person with Alzheimer’s dementia becomes agitated, it creates emotional distress and exacerbates existing dementia-related disabilities.

You may recognize your loved one’s agitation from the following behaviors1:

  • Restlessness
  • Combativeness
  • Calling out and crying
  • Wandering
  • Pacing
  • Aggressive language

Research suggests that 67.5% of people with Alzheimer’s dementia experience agitation regularly1. There are numerous potential causes of agitation, but they are all a direct result of the brain’s inability to process new information and events. For example, these situations may overwhelm the brain and trigger agitation2:

  • Changes in environment
  • Moving to a new residence
  • Changes in caregiver arrangements
  • New routines

Tips to Minimize Agitation Before It Begins2

Your actions as a caregiver may be able to minimize signs of agitation. Use these tips to keep your loved one feeling as comfortable and secure as possible:

  1. Create a calm environment by removing known stressors
  2. Avoid environmental triggers, such as noise and glare
  3. Maximize personal comfort by addressing hunger, thirst, full bladder, fatigue, and other daily needs
  4. Incorporate soothing exercises into the daily routine, such as gardening, dancing to music, or going for a walk
  5. Stick to the same predictable routine

How to Respond to a Loved One’s Agitation2

Episodes of agitation can be stressful and frustrating for caregivers. This is why it is important to use coping strategies to respond to your loved one’s agitation.

First, listen to or identify your loved one’s agitation. Respond with calming, reassuring phrases such as You’re safe here, May I help you? and I will stay with you until you feel better. You may also be able to divert your loved one’s attention away from their agitation by involving them in soothing activities such as art or music.

The following suggestions provide a roadmap to navigate agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia:

  1. Use calm, positive statements
  2. Slow down and offer plenty of reassurance
  3. Offer guided choices between two options
  4. Limit other forms of stimulation
  5. Introduce pet therapy to sooth agitation and improve mood

Overall, though every episode of agitation is unique, they stem from the same Alzheimer’s dementia-related challenges. Learning and adopting new methods of coping with agitation can empower caregivers to address the needs of their loved ones with more efficiency and less stress.

Stay Educated

Caring for someone with agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia is incredibly challenging. It is important to continue to educate oneself on the condition, so you can be aware of any news that becomes available that could impact your loved ones.

One area to always keep an eye on, is the world of clinical research. Every day, clinical studies are evaluating investigational treatments for a variety of conditions and seeking participants for those studies.

Right now, the ASPECTTM clinical research study is seeking participants. The goal of the study is to learn more about treating agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia, a symptom that can impact the daily lifestyle of both patients and their caregivers. If you would like to learn more about this important research and to see if someone you care for may qualify, visit ASPECTTrial.com now.

Hopefully, as a result of current research efforts, we can one day find a treatment for patients living with agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia.

 

Sources:
1 Treatments for Behavior. Alzheimer’s Association. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/treatments/treatments-for-behavior. Accessed February 17, 2021.
2 Learn About Clinical Studies. ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/about-studies/learn. Accessed February 17, 2021.
3 Step 3: Clinical Research. U.S. Food & Drug. https://www.fda.gov/patients/drug-development-process/step-3-clinical-research. Accessed February 17, 2021.