Quote:
Originally Posted by Bizdoc
While I am not usually the one to suggest tolerance (as the folks who dumped on me for suggesting low IQ on the part of a certain car driver on the multimodal path), I would like to point out something important.
One of the things which happens in Alzheimer's (and some other dementias) is the folks often retreat from rational to lizard (primitive) brain. They become much more easily angered and much more likely to physically strike out. And in this wonderful paradise of ours lurk a lot of folks who either have or will have dementia.
Had an interesting chat summer of 2012 with a psychiatrist who treated patients in nursing homes. He related seeing a growing number of veterans (usually WWII or Korea) who developed dementia and reacted violently to various triggers (like loud noises).
Hopefully all of us fine folks on TOTV won't be cursed with acting out when we lose our marbles.
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You are so right on target with your description of the changing moods and personality of one with dementia or Alzheimers. Not all, but many become belligerent. I've mentioned this in the past when others have spoken of rudeness in restaurants. A little understanding would explain the change in behavior.
Some with dementia have a total personality change. The meek become arrogant and argumentative.........while the former naturally assertive types might now become meek and docile. One never knows.
Often there is a distinct and noticeable personality change.
Great patience and tolerance is necessary to deal with this.
Not condoning his "acting out" and injuring others, their vehicle, etc.
But irrational behavior like that is NOT normal. Belligerence and picking on family members is NOT normal. Striking out at perfect strangers is totally NOT normal.
Also, maybe he was coming off of some drug? Even nicotine reduction might cause erratic behavior. Sad, but true, that our society nowadays has so many on every type of psychotropic drug out there, plus prescription meds that often have strange side effects......even in normal folks.