The predominant symptom connected to Alzheimer’s disease is the obvious decline in a patient’s cognitive function– namely, thinking and reasoning abilities as well as remembering things. Such a symptom often points to a rather peaceful patient, but not all the time, which is why professional home health care in Chicago is often the best option to care for such a patient.
CNN correspondent Madison Park spoke with Michael Cohen, a man whose 80-year old father is suffering from Alzheimer’s-related aggression. The condition causes Cohen’s father to unknowingly lash out at his own family. As Park notes:
“Cohen, a former New Jersey taxi driver and ironworker, is convinced his family will steal his money. He talks about escaping to Israel. He ignores his grown children’s pleas to take his medication – he tells them they’ve been brainwashed. And he threatens his wife, Haya.”
Sadly, Alzheimer’s aggression isn’t entirely characterized by stubbornness and verbal ranting alone. Some patients lash out even to the point of physically attacking their own kin. One incident involved British Rugby legend John Williams back in 2006. According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, Williams, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, woke up in the middle of the night and started opening and closing a drawer next to the bed. His wife Mary told him to stop, but John snapped and ended up causing her harm.
What exactly causes said aggressive behavior is still largely disputed, although a study from the University of Kansas concluded that recognition was the strongest predictor i.e., forgetting what something was, or what was inside something, was the most common cause of aggressive behavior. Other studies have also shown that Alzheimer’s-related violence is also a result of patients reacting to side effects like headaches, constipation, and nausea from their medications.
Alzheimer’s aggression is known to flare up without warning, as there’s no often obvious cause. However, several triggers give hints on when the patient is going to snap. Some of these include: discomfort due to lack of sleep, medication side effects, or pain the patient isn’t able to describe; factors from the surrounding environment like loud noises; or confusion caused by asking too many questions at once.
Unless the kin of Alzheimer’s patients are willing and able to deal with the aggressive behavior which may come at any time, calling for dependable home health care in Chicago from providers like Comfort Keepers of Chicagoland Area, IL is always the best bet in providing the best care available within the comfort and familiarity of home.
(Source: When Alzheimer’s Turns Violent, CNN, March 30, 2011)
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