Coping with Patients with Alzheimer’s – Weathering the Storm as a CNA

Alzheimer’s disease can affect the way a person thinks, how they feel, and how they behave, and caring for patients that suffer from the disease requires flexibility and patience. Whether you choose to use your CNA training to work in hospice, senior care facilities, or as an HHA, you will likely encounter quite a few patients during your career that struggle with Alzheimer’s. This trying illness causes people to behave in uncharacteristic ways at seemingly random times. For example, a patient may suddenly become irritated, suspicious, or extremely dependent at times, even though these traits were in no way part of his or her personality before developing Alzheimer’s.

Although these individuals can’t control or thwart these behaviors, they can cause a good deal of frustration and stress for their caregivers. The most important thing that you can do as a caregiver is something you must first do for yourself. You must come to the understanding that any actions or words of aggression that stem from an Alzheimer’s patient cannot be taken personally. Behavior troubles such as aggression, distrust, or wandering are caused by chemical reactions and damage to the brain, and they are not necessarily something that your patient can control or prevent. So, remember this when persons with Alzheimer’s do or say stuff that can be interpreted as insensitive.

Things to Consider with Agitated Patients and What you Can Do

1. An underlying issue such as pain, thirst, hunger, or an infection that has gone undiagnosed often causes agitation. You’ll want to try and discover the cause, and then take appropriate actions. If you suspect pain or infection, you will need to notify the head nurse or attending physician.
2. Boredom is a common culprit of seniors acting out – after all, they often feel lonely. If the patient is physically able, you may want to get them involved in an activity, or even talk them for a walk or wheelchair them around the premises to help them feel better.
3. Don’t be surprised if patients act out occasionally, and this behavior is not limited to Alzheimer’s patients. Many of the most perceptive CNAs have learned to provide their patients with ample positive attention while they are calm, which helps avoid the entire scenario of them crying out for attention.

Some Tips to Calm Patients with Dementia Related to Alzheimer’s

• Soothing music, soft toys, favorite personal items, and a gentle touch can be helpful.
• Distraction can be highly effective and is far more effective than attempts at reasoning.
• Ask closed questions as opposed to open-ended ones that leave the patient struggling for answers.
• Reminisce with the patient and help them focus on positive experiences of their life
• Therapeutic activities like mild exercise, art, and interacting with other patients can be quite helpful to lift a patient’s spirits and distract them temporarily from their troubles.

Dealing with these patients is not always easy, and it can be downright disheartening to witness patients falling into states of dementia or developing Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is a part of the job, and with time and experience, you’ll learn which approaches work best with individual patients.