Dementia can steal more than memory

Last update: February 19, 2009 - 11:07 PM

Dementia steals a person's memory, but sometimes it also takes away the good judgment and social brakes that help people get along with others.

No one knows for sure what happened last month between Verne Gagne and Helmut Gutmann in the memory care assisted living unit at Friendship Village in Bloomington.

But experts say families and care facilities frequently must cope with "challenging behaviors" among people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementia illnesses. Behavioral changes can start in the early or middle stages of dementia, when the patients may grow frustrated and angry over their diminishing abilities, said Michelle Barclay, vice president of program services at the Alzheimer's Association office in Edina.

"Sometimes you can do things to head off problems," such as listening carefully or distracting the person with music, a pet or treasured objects or memories, she said.

"But sometimes things just seem to happen out of the blue -- things that seem out of character, like extreme anger, fearfulness, yelling, swearing, even striking out," she said. "Nearly always there's a cause. That's when you become a detective and try to figure out the cause so you can stop it."

State law requires training for staff in facilities that offer memory care. "That's critical, but so is the setting where people with dementia live," said Gayle Kvenvold, CEO of Aging Services of Minnesota, a trade group representing nursing homes and senior housing.

The Alzheimer's Association's annual dementia conference is March 28 in St. Paul. Call 952-830-0512 or go to www.alz.org/mnnd. The ElderCare Rights Alliance advocacy group also offers training. Call 952-854-7304 or go to www.eldercarerights.org.

WARREN WOLFE

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