Alzheimer’s and Personality Changes: 6 Behavioral Symptoms

18 Dec Alzheimer’s and Personality Changes: 6 Behavioral Symptoms

The most tragic thing for us humans is the fear of forgetting our loved ones. Unfortunately, this fear is real, and, in medical terms, we all know it by the name of ‘Dementia’. 

Dementia is not a disease but a term coined for our inability to think, remember, and make decisions involving our daily work. 

Some personality changes in Alzheimer’s are feelings of apathy or withdrawal, depression, forgetfulness, and inability to do daily tasks. Adding to it, people also likely to show symptoms of sundowning which is state of confusion occuring late in the afternoon or at night (more about it later).

We may expect sudden behavioral and personality changes in patients suffering from dementia. One of the rare forms of dementia that steals one’s personality is ‘frontotemporal dementia’, which attacks the young population leaving its patient in ‘split-personality’.

There are many diseases which lead to ‘Dementia’ and among them ‘Alzheimer’ is the one most heard of.

In short, we can conclude that “Alzheimer’s is a disorder that causes dementia by attacking the brain cell and results in the shrinking of the brain”. 

The behavioral symptoms and personality changes in Alzheimer’s patients and demented patients are pretty much the same. 

Let’s have a closer and detailed look at what are the behavioral and personality changes in people suffering from Alzheimer’s. 

How Does Alzheimer’s Cause Personality Changes? | 6 Common Behavioral Symptoms 

Some of the early signs of personality changes in Alzheimer’s can include:

1. Aggressiveness and Anger
2. Anxiety
3. Apathy and a general lack of enthusiasm
4. Delusions
5. Compulsiveness
6. Wandering
7. Sundowning

Some of the first early signs of Alzheimer’s personality changes are gradual while some come on suddenly. Nobody can exactly predict which way it’s going to be. 

Additionally, any personality change with Alzheimer’s does affect the patient as well as the people around them. 

#1. Aggressive and Intimidating Behavior

The patient expresses sudden aggression if their demands are not addressed at once. These are often the early signs of Alzheimer’s anger. 

They can be quite threatening in their physical appearance. The most common reason for such anger outbursts can be irritation or boredom. 

#2. Anxiety

If one becomes anxious over some unknown reason or worried about or afraid of things that are not a real threat, there can be some concerns about their mental health. 

#3. Apathy

If someone is experiencing a lack of desire to do something of which he was previously fond of doing, they should try to talk to the family.

#4. Feeling Delusional or Hallucinating

When the mental state of an Alzheimer’s patient deteriorates, he/she may see or say things that have nothing to do with reality. 

They may refuse to identify a person as his relative and can accuse him/her of something painful. Moreover, hallucinations caused because of Alzheimer’s will leave its patient confused and doubtful.

#5. Compulsive Behavior

If one is doing something repetitive, it must ring a warning bell for people living around that person. 

It can seem normal at first instance; for example, collecting tissues or drinking water again and again. If ignored, the affected person can spend hours on the loop doing one thing.

#6. Wandering

A sudden desire for exploration or to move or search for something is pretty common in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s.

#7. Sundowning

Sometimes the Alzheimer’s patients starts to show signs of sundowning. In this the symptoms like restlessness, irritability, confusion, and agitation starts to get worse during evening or late night. As a result, this makes it hard for the patients to fall asleep.

Since by now we are aware of how Alzheimer’s causes personality changes, we’ll further investigate the cause of such warning signs. 

What Can Cause Personality Changes in the Elderly with Alzheimer’s?

Damaged brain cells are the root cause of dementia. These damaged cells interfere with the healthy brain cells and affect the feelings, behavior, and thinking process of an individual.

In the case of Alzheimer’s, healthy brain cells get affected by the presence of high levels of certain proteins. 

• Hippocampus, a region in the brain responsible for learning and memory, is the first to get affected. Thus, we see that memory loss is often the earliest sign of Alzheimer’s. 
• Having an Alzheimer’s patient in a family in the past is likely to increase the chances of getting Alzheimer’s because we inherit genes from our parents.

Loss of memory affects the daily lifestyle of the patient as they tend to concentrate less on their grooming. 

• They find difficulty in remembering the words and make meaningless conversation. 
• They spend time looking for their essentials as they forget where they kept their belongings and also spend a lot of time in search of it.

In lack of knowledge and social awareness, this disease has given birth to many social stigmas based on which the patient faces discrimination and shaming. 

• A term like “living-dead”, “zombies”, “Alzheimer’s is a death sentence”, etc. has contributed a lot to the pain and suffering of patients as well as their family. 
• The patient feels worthless about his existence. His inability to perform the day-to-day task without seeking help from others further leads to hopelessness and depression. 
• The sense of being free, liberated, and independent fades away from within the patient’s mind and they feel like a burden on their family and society, which is not true. 

However, it’s a relief to know that extensive research is carried out to study this disease. 

It is seen that some people develop Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition where people find difficulty in memorizing things but their symptoms do not interfere with their daily lifestyle. 

Sometimes the difficulty in movement and problem with the sense of smell is also connected with MCI.

The principal side effects of Alzheimer’s fluctuate from one individual to another. 

For some, a decrease in non-memory parts of comprehension, for example, word-finding, vision/spatial issues, and weakened thinking or judgment might flag the beginning phases.

Specialists are concentrating on biomarkers (natural indications of illness found in cerebrum pictures, cerebrospinal liquid, and blood) to recognize early changes in the minds of individuals with MCI. 

Moreover, they are inspecting ordinary individuals who might be more prone to Alzheimer’s disease. 

The Severity of Alzheimer’s Disease Also Matters

Based on recent research, the severity of Alzheimer’s disease can be divided into three parts. Understanding these can also assist in further understanding how Alzheimer’s causes personality changes.

#1. Gentle Alzheimer’s Sickness

As Alzheimer’s deteriorates, issues like meandering and getting lost, inconvenience dealing with cash and taking care of bills, rehashing questions, taking more time to do typical everyday jobs become more frequent. 

As a result, the character and conduct of an individual change. Patients are often analyzed in this stage.

#2. Moderate Alzheimer’s Illness

In this stage, damage happens in areas of the cerebrum that control language, thinking, cognizant ideas, and tangible handling. 

For example, the capacity to effectively distinguish sounds and scents is affected. 

Moreover, cognitive decline and disarray deteriorate, and people begin to possess problems perceiving loved ones. 

Patients might not be able to learn new things, complete multi-step errands, for example, getting dressed, or adapt to new circumstances. 

What’s more is individuals at this stage might have mind flights, fancies, and suspicion and may act rashly.

#3. Serious Alzheimer’s Sickness

Eventually, plaques and tangles spread all through the mind, and cerebrum tissue contracts fundamentally. 

Individuals with extreme Alzheimer’s can’t impart and are reliant upon others for their consideration. 

Close to the furthest limit of life, the individual might be sleeping most or all the time as the body closes down.

In fact, there’s also evidence signifying how changes in the brain are apparent in people with Alzheimer-related personality traits.

Considering the severity of this mental disorder, it does become imperative to know how to deal with Alzheimer’s confusion. 

And this knowledge should take the front seat for family members as they are often the ones on the receiving end of all the personality changes.

How to Deal with Alzheimer’s Personality Changes As a Family Member?

Dealing with an Alzheimer’s patient can be irritating, exhausting, and heartbreaking for some family members. 

The only way to deal with it is to have proper knowledge about what to expect and how to address the problem. 

Following are some tips to help you better deal with such situations: 

#1. Be Calm

If you feel your loved one is losing their temper, try diverting their attention by playing music or going outside. 

Try talking about old times as your buddy is likely to remember events from years ago. Reminding him/her of good old times can be comforting and soothing.

#2. Reassure

Reassuring that everything will be fine can greatly impact the moral courage of your loved ones. 

Always try to talk in a soft, soothing, and polite tone. Being protective and affectionate can be a great virtue while dealing with the patient. 

#3. Try to Gain Attention

Turn off the source of any loud noise and clear the area of other distractions. 

Maintain eye contact while talking. And if still, the patient seems confused, try introducing your name and relation to them.

#4. Keep Instructions Simple

Use simple words and try rephrasing your questions if the patient is unable to understand you for the first time.

Try following simple routines so that the patient does not have to make decisions. 

#5. No Skill Upgradation

Avoid teaching a new set of skills to the patient. Your focus should be on preserving your loved one’s abilities.

#6. Keep a Close Watch on Medication and Its Side Effects

Check the dose and quantity of the medicine, and if it has any side effects, visit the doctor at once.

#7. Limit Renovation

Try not to renovate your loved one’s surroundings because it’s hard for them to remember the new changes and get used to them. 

Do not clutter their room.

#8. Gentle Reminder

Keep reminding your loved ones about the day, date, time, and place, and keep on repeating the names of those who are in their contact. 

#9. Good Diet

Dementia can affect one’s eating habits. 

So, make sure your loved ones get a nutritious diet and healthy fluids like water, juice, and shakes. 

However, in spite of knowing all about what to do, keeping things in order might take a toll on you. And that’s justified and understandable. 

To reduce any unnecessary frustrations, schedule your work and make space for daily tasks with some flexibility. 

The main reason for this is that it may sometimes longer to complete daily tasks with an Alzheimer’s patient. 

Some of the frequently asked questions may help you understand more about the behavioural changes in Alzheimer’s patients.

FAQs
This section answers some of the popular queries related to Alzheimer’s and behavioral changes.

#1. What Behaviour Triggers Alzheimer’s Patients?
To point out early symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients, look for some of the common triggers. To begin with, Alzheimer’s patients may become agitated with the change in their daily routine.

It could be as simple as a change in their meal time. Adding to it, a cluttered, messy, or even noisy room can overwhelm the patient.

Adding to it, as the condition progress, Alzheimer’s patients start to get lonely and frustrated as well due to their inability to do things like how they used to do.

Lastly, Alzheimer’s patients are also mostly unable to keep track of directions, complete a task, and get irritated frequently because of bright lights.

#2. When Do Behavioural Changes in Alzheimer’s Patients Start Getting Worse?
The behavioral changes in Alzheimer’s patients start getting worse when the patient shows visible signs of memory loss, and lack of independence, followed by decreasing physical control.

Due to the damaged brain cells, your loved ones might start acting suspicious of others, feel depressed, and delusional, and start needing help round-the-clock.

#3. What resources are available to help me cope with personality changes in my loved one with Alzheimer’s?
There are treatment and consultancy centers both online and offline to help cope with Alzheimer’s. Where you can consult for early detection if you see any possible signs of Alzheimer’s.

In fact, some of the local help groups are also fruitful in helping people cope with personality and behavioral changes in Alzheimer’s.

Adding to it, these centers also guide you on how to take care of your loved one dealing with Alzheimer’s.

Here are some of the support centers to look for:
In the US, Call the Alzheimer’s Association helpline at 1 800 272 3900 or the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at 1-866-232-8484.

Those residing in other countries can browse a worldwide directory of Alzheimer’s associations for advice, information, and support near you. (Alzheimer’s Disease International).

As a last note, also seek support from friends and family while staying realistic and practical in your approach. This may help you deal with many frustrations you might experience while caregiving. 

Final Words

To recapitulate, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common of many causes of dementia. 

A healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, and happy living can reduce the chances of getting Alzheimer’s when one gets old. 

However, what’s actually worrying is the global increase in the number of patients suffering from this disease. 

Since the majority of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease are above eighty years of age, they need proper care, love, and support from their family members. 

Not only that, but cooperation from society to survive the few remaining years of their mortal life in peace is also necessary. 

Although there’s still no cure for such disease, science and research are continuously exploring the unknown realms of nature to find a cure. 

Each day, I see new information coming out in the public domain about this disease. Well now, science has improved a lot. 

Today, this disease can be determined by tests, such as neuropsychological imaging and spinal fluid tests with high accuracy. 

Awareness about such a kind of disease is necessary to lift the social stigma related to it. Their problem is real and should be dealt with patience and affection. 

Hopefully, now you’ve got a better understanding of how Alzheimer’s causes personality changes and how it can affect everyone involved. 

If you’ve any more questions on your mind, I would love to connect down in the comments section.

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