阿尔茨海默氏病and other forms of dementia can diminish memory, reasoning and other skills. But there’s more to dementia than memory loss. “Behavioral changes are very common and affect upwards of 95% of people with dementia,” saidGanesh Gopalakrishna, MD, a geriatric psychiatrist at旗帜阿尔茨海默氏症研究所在亚利桑那州凤凰城。我们与Gopalakrishna博士进行了交谈，讨论了遵循痴呆症诊断的行为和个性的各种变化。
人格和行为的共同变化
知道期望什么对于帮助您所爱的人进行调整非常有价值。对于看护者和亲人来说，知道哪些常见人格和行为改变会影响被诊断为阿尔茨海默氏症和其他形式的痴呆症的人。提前获得此信息将有助于解释可能出现的一些困难和冲突的原因。那些患有痴呆症的人经常经历以下一个或多个：
- Depression
- 一般冷漠，即使是为了曾经发现愉快的活动
- 全天对简单行为的焦虑
- 快速愤怒和忧虑
- 隐藏事物或相信别人正在隐藏事物
- Imagining things that aren’t there
- 模棱两可的损失和悲伤
- 倾向在家漫步
- 起搏
- 下降个人卫生
- New or unusual sexual behavior
- Hitting you or others
- Misunderstanding what they see or hear
Dr. Gopalakrishna explained that depression and anxiety are very common in patients and can even begin to present 10-15 years在认知症状之前like memory loss will appear. The combined effects of behavioral and cognitive changes compound to create a very压力很大。学习应对症状,一个接一个,as they appear, will make finding peace easier when various symptoms are present at the same time – for everyone.
调整为看守人
It is common to feel overwhelmed with the behavioral symptoms related to dementia. Witnessing these changes in your loved one can feel isolating and unnerving. Remember that you aren’t alone. Lean on the support of your health care provider and inform them as personality changes appear and develop. Together, you’ll be more equipped to confront these changes with patience and optimism.
Gopalakrishna博士解释说，行为干预（例如认知刺激，体育活动和音乐疗法）是可能的，并且可能非常有效。随着症状的发展或其他干预措施不可行时，药物也可以非常有效地减轻症状。在每种情况下，与您所爱的人的医疗保健提供者的牢固伙伴关系都会使每个人更温和。
Easing the burden of a changing personality
“Behavioral symptoms can be very unsettling for patients with dementia,” commented Dr. Gopalakrishna. For your loved ones, these new emotional changes feel like the world is changing around them. Helping them to cope with their evolving emotions in a peaceful way is an important role for caretakers. In these moments, caretakers can rely on various tactics to help bring calm and understanding.
可靠的例行程序可以放松思维
Changing plans and new faces can be very overwhelming and can flip the switch from peace to panic. Keep a written, consistent calendar as often as possible and remind your loved one often when新事物即将到来。
放松技术
如果可行的话，创建包括定期呼吸练习的例程，冥想或祈祷将为您和您所爱的人提供一个熟悉的工具箱，可以从感到烦躁时从中拉出。
创造一个安全的环境
安全是看护者最重要的事情and他们的亲人。随着新的行为和人格的变化的发展，它可能是压倒性和可怕的。Gopalakrishna博士说：“许多患者承受着抑郁症，妄想症或幻觉的负担。”“这足以使一个人在自己的家中感到不安全。在这些情况下，第一步是提供一个安全的环境，限制对自我或他人的任何意外或故意伤害的机会。”看护人还应该考虑锁定枪支，如果他们的亲人表现出侵略性或绝望的迹象。重要的是要消除尽可能多的危险机会。
准备资源
Behavioral swings can happen in an instant. In those moments, having a solution on hand will help to avoid escalation. Take a look at these护理T.I.P.S.（尝试包括实践策略）由旗帜阿尔茨海默氏症研究所提供。您会发现有关许多情况的解决方案的有用的抽认卡避免争论，冷漠andnutrition。
From the outside
阿尔茨海默氏症和其他形式的痴呆症不仅影响了被诊断患有这种疾病的痴呆症的生活。作为看守人，朋友或家庭成员, witnessing the changes in your loved one can be heartbreaking. You may feel all alone in your struggle to connect and care for them. Remember that您可能还需要支持in these times. Seek counseling and专业护理根据需要减轻您所爱的人的负担和自己的负担。
You can learn more about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,Lewy body dementiaandmany other types of dementia通过阅读这些类似的文章：
- 痴呆症的成年人：3个更好的医院秘诀
- 记忆丧失：是正常的衰老还是痴呆症？
- How Smart Home Design Boosts Comfort for People with Dementia
- 注意这些老年人精神疾病的预警信号
