As a Professional Carer, you will most likely find yourself caring for clients who suffer from dementia. There are a wide range of symptoms that you should be on the lookout for as they can differ greatly from the natural ageing process.
These various symptoms can lead to what is commonly known in the Aged Care space as: responsive behaviours. This term refers to the actions that a person exhibits as a direct response to the progression of dementia.
Managing responsive behaviours is something that you will be expected to do in the workplace when working in Aged Care, so it’s important to know potential triggers and strategies for how to deal with them.
Our next few blogs will be part of a series, where we’ll be giving you our best tips on how to deal with the 3 most common responsive behaviours that you’ll experience in the workplace: aggression, anxiety and wandering.
First up in the series is aggression.
Potential triggers
Frustration
For people with dementia, it can be a really frustrating experience not being able to do the things they want to do, or communicate their needs properly. This can lead to a lot of pent-up agitation which can cause aggressive behaviours such as yelling, kicking and punching.
Change of Environment
You might find that if someone with dementia has recently been moved into a facility, or put in a different environment than they’re used to, they’ll be confused about the situation. Often they won’t have the short-term memory capacity to remember why they are in a new place, leading to them becoming fearful and aggressive, especially as they try to settle into somewhere that they aren’t used to, with people they’ve never seen before.
Pain or Infection
Pain is something we can all relate to. We’ve all had some form of pain that has led to us becominggrumpy and agitated, sometimes toward other people. This is no different to those who suffer from dementia, however, they often won’t have the capacity to communicate their issue to anyone else, which can lead to prolonged periods of pain and subsequently trigger a range of behaviours. The presence of an infection such as a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), can also create discomfort and pain which can lead to a range of behavioural responses. This can really take its toll on them and affects things such as their ability to sleep, and their mood, meaning aggressive outbursts can become a more common occurrence.
Strategies to deal with aggression
Distraction
A great way to help calm down aggressive behaviours is to divert their attention to something else, allowing them to blow off some steam, or simply forget the source of their agitation in the first place. Exercising, playing board games or socialising with others are all good ways to keep them occupied and allowing their mood to settle down.
Reassure Them
Sometimes aggression can be calmed down by a simple reassurance that they are being looked after, and their needs are understood. For example, if they’re in pain, let them know in a calm manner that you’re aware of the situation, and that you’re going to make sure that the pain will be taken care of shortly and everything will be fine. You’ll be surprised how quickly something like that can help them to calm down.
Family Support
No one knows the client better than their family, and a lot of the time they will need to be involved in helping to manage aggressive behaviours. Initially it might not be obvious as to what needs to be done to calm them down, so it’s always a good idea to refer to someone who knows them on a personal level, as they can have their own strategies that are specific to the client.
There you have it! Our best tips on how to manage aggressive behaviours in Aged Care – we hope you’ve enjoyed it.