Advanced Resource Search: Coping with Common Problems in Dementia

This web page specifically addresses aggressive behavior and takes you through five steps to dealing with emotions, from personal reactions and feelings to recognizing and working with someone's "triggers."

This web page offers four checklists for different rooms in your house, with questions about safety issues for seniors regarding each room.

This web page lists warning signs that a loved one's driving may be dangerous and provides caregiver advice and transportation options.

This web page discusses the sleep changes that someone with Alzheimer's may experience, such as difficulty sleeping and shifts in the sleep-wake cycle. Treatments of sleep changes are discussed, including the medications and non-drug treatments available .

This web page allows you to view a number of video clips from a documentary about communicating with people with Alzheimer's disease; the producers' philosophy is that it is always possible to connect with them in some way.

This web page discusses the stages of language changes that you can expect your loved one to experience as he/she progresses through the stages of dementia. Topics include how memory, comprehension, language skills, and social communication change with disease progression.

This web page discusses the challenges of communicating with your loved one with Alzheimer's disease and gives helpful advice on what you can do to make communication successful and engage your loved one in conversation.

This article offers advice on communicating successfully with your loved one, including discussion of dementia and language, listening skills, proper ways to get your loved one's attention, body language, and speaking clearly. The article also talks about other possible causes of poor communication (fantasy, pain, hearing discomfort, and poorly fitting dentures).

This booklet from the Alzheimer's Society is easy-to-read and presents practical suggestions for helping your loved one communicate, as well as working around hearing and vision limitations.

This resource list provides suggestions of websites, books, and other publications that can assist you in dealing with communication and behavior problems.