There is no specific “angry stage” in dementia. However, pronounced mood, personality, and cognitive function changes often appear during the middle or moderate stage of dementia.
The middle stages of dementia are when anger and aggression are most likely to start. This can occur as other symptoms like wandering, hoarding, and compulsive behaviors can be seen by your loved one.
During the middle stage of Alzheimer's, the dementia symptoms are more pronounced. the person may confuse words, get frustrated or angry, and act in unexpected ways, such as refusing to bathe.
On average it lasts about one to two years.
Combative Behavior Begins Around the Middle Stages
The symptoms that occur with Alzheimer's disease can vary in severity from one person to another. While it isn't easy to predict when combative behavior will start to occur, most caregivers find that it happens around the middle stages of the disease.
A person with dementia may feel agitated or irritable, fidget, tap their fingers or make other repetitive movements. They may also walk up and down, move objects around or fixate on tasks such as tidying. Or they may try to leave the house. These behaviours are known as 'restlessness'.
Aggression, agitation, and sundowning are just a few. As a caregiver to one with Alzheimer's, you know well these difficult behaviors.
There is no way to be sure how quickly a person's dementia will progress. Some people with dementia will need support very soon after their diagnosis. In contrast, others will stay independent for several years.
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.
Ice cream brings people with dementia to happier, warmer times when the treat was shared with friends and loved ones at special, joyous occa- sions. Ice cream has the power to immediately elicit soothing feelings at the very first taste of a single spoon-full.
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.
Try gentle touching, soothing music, reading, or walks. Reduce noise, clutter, or the number of people in the room. Try to distract the person with a favorite snack, object, or activity. Limit the amount of caffeine the person drinks and eats.
In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events.
According to Visiting Angels, “Confusion is one of the leading causes of anger and aggression in Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers. Confusion can be triggered by lost trains of thought, mixed up memories, or a sudden change in the environment, such as a change from one caregiver to another.”
People with dementia often develop restless behaviours, such as pacing up and down, wandering out of the home and agitated fidgeting.
Dementia patients who are mean and aggressive are most likely feeling fear, anger and embarrassment because they have been asked to use skills that they no longer have. When they fail, they may lash out at us.
Many people with frontotemporal dementia develop a number of unusual behaviours they're not aware of. These can include: being insensitive or rude.
In the middle stage of dementia, symptoms become more noticeable and the person will need more support in managing daily life. This stage of dementia is often the longest. On average it lasts about two to four years.
According to the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation, regular physical exercise can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 50 percent. What's more, exercise can also slow further deterioration in those who have already started to develop cognitive problems.
The middle stage brings a greater decline in the person's cognitive and abilities. This stage often seems the longest and everyone involved will need help and support. Memory and other cognitive abilities will continue to deteriorate, although the person may still have some awareness of their condition.
People with dementia think about the same things that any human thinks about — emotions, relationships, daily life, tasks to accomplish, and more. Receiving a life-changing diagnosis of dementia does not strip a person of their humanity and personhood.
I'm going to discuss five of the most basic ones here: 1) Don't tell them they are wrong about something, 2) Don't argue with them, 3) Don't ask if they remember something, 4) Don't remind them that their spouse, parent or other loved one is dead, and 5) Don't bring up topics that may upset them.
Problems can include wandering and getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, and personality and behavior changes. People are often diagnosed in this stage.