To caregivers, this behavior may come across as intentionally manipulative, but this is rarely the case. “Dementia patients lose cognitive skills like logic, reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making,” explains Poiley. “So beyond the very beginning stages, a patient really couldn't be truly manipulative.”
Effective Ways to Handle Manipulative Dementia Behaviors
1. Never take the manipulation to the personal level. Don't think that the senior is attacking or manipulating you. Rather, think that it's dementia trying to cause devastation to the seniors' lives and everyone who surrounds them.
People with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) often have trouble controlling their behavior. They may say inappropriate things or ignore other peoples' feelings. bvFTD may affect how a person deals with everyday situations.
People living with dementia keep their essence and spirit, although many will experience major personality changes. A sweet, gentle person may behave sweeter after the on-set of Alzheimer's, while the “bossy” kind may become even more controlling.
It could be that your elderly parent has developed narcissism in their old age, this can be due to a variety of reasons, including trauma, or depression. It could also be that they are exhibiting some narcissistic traits because of dementia.
In addition, individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias frequently become unable to appreciate other people's feelings or needs as sensitively as they once did. As a result, they can seem “selfish” or “self-centered”, and uncaring about other peoples' needs or feelings.
Aggression is one of a number of behaviours – often called 'behaviours that challenge' – that can result from dementia. These behaviours can be just as challenging for the person as for those supporting them. Others include agitation and restlessness, walking about, and being sexually inappropriate.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
Dementia behavior: Aggression. Verbal threats and physical aggression can be among the more serious of the dementia behaviors. These verbal or physical outbursts may occur seemingly out of nowhere. They tend to happen in the latter stage of dementia, when patients can't communicate their needs.
Avoid asking too many open-ended questions about the past, as it could be stressful for a person with dementia if they can't remember the answer. While it might seem polite to ask somebody about their day, it's better to focus on what's happening in the present.
This behavior is usually harmless, but it can be unnerving and annoying for those who are caring for the person. Repetitive behavior is usually a sign of insecurity, since people with dementia are often looking for something comfortable and familiar - something over which they have some degree of control.
Even if they don't understand their error, correcting them may embarrass or be otherwise unpleasant for them. Don't Argue With the Person: It's never a good idea to argue with a person who has dementia. First of all, you can't win. And second, it will probably upset them or even make them angry.
They may even feel like you are intentionally taking power away from them. Acting in a controlling or manipulative manner may be a way for them to try and regain that control. Such behavior may be more likely if the senior feels like they cannot talk to you and find a middle ground.
Your loved one is telling you a story, recalling facts that are untrue and getting names mixed up. Don't correct them—that won't improve their memory and it will cause confusion and sadness. Go along with their story and treat them as you would if what they were saying was factual.
other long-term health problems – dementia tends to progress more quickly if the person is living with other conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, particularly if these are not well-managed.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Rapidly progressive dementias (RPDs) are dementias that progress quickly, typically over the course of weeks to months, but sometimes up to two to three years.
Dementia can cause a person to behave in a 'sexual' way that they and people around them may find challenging. A person with dementia may experience changes in how they respond to sex, be inappropriate or aggressive, mistake a person for someone else, or behave sexually in public.
Behavioral disturbances in dementia are often globally described as “agitation” including verbal and physical aggression, wandering, and hoarding. These symptoms create patient and caregiver distress, and lead to nursing home placement.
Often when a person with dementia asks to go home it refers to the sense of 'home' rather than home itself. 'Home' may represent memories of a time or place that was comfortable and secure and where they felt relaxed and happier. It could also be an indefinable place that may not physically exist.
Dementia can affect someone's inhibitions. This means they may stop following the usual social rules about how to behave. Disinhibited behaviours can seem tactless, rude or offensive. These behaviours can place enormous strain on families and carers.
It can be difficult both for the person and those around them. It can help to try see things from their point of view. The person with dementia is trying to make sense of their reality and what is happening. By hiding and hoarding things, the person may be trying to have some control of their situation.
Delusional jealousy is a frequent problem in dementia. Coexistent delusions and hallucinations are frequent.