What you should know about caregiving for the elderly with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and who are experiencing Sundowners.

Caring for a loved one who is appreciative of your efforts and aware they are declining is hard enough. Caregivers for the elderly with alzheimer’s and dementia and sundowners disease makes you often feel you are trapped looking after someone that you don’t know at all.

Even within your own home, this person may be angry and belligerent toward you, making unreasonable demands, or even becoming physically violent. They may blame you for things you could not possibly control or have not done. They may yell and even strike you. Responding to these actions responsibly takes the most courage and compassion of all.

It is vital that your loved one takes their medications to keep them calm, or they can become out of control and entirely unmanageable, despite your best intentions.

When they refuse to take their medication and lash out at you, do as suggested in my book.

The most important thing to remember on how to handle a combative dementia patient is if you find yourself trying to care for a loved one who is behaving unreasonably, is that you must never blame yourself for any of their accusations. A kind of wild behavior that feels abusive, and even dangerous sometimes, is just part of the progression of their disease.