Care Partners
It is well established that the cost of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) has a huge impact on not only people living with the ADRD, but also their care partners. As dementia progresses, individuals can experience behavior and personality changes as well as other changes in their daily habits and behaviors that are referred to as “neuropsychiatric changes” as a result of their underlying dementia. These behavioral changes can be highly distressing to carepartners and may be the driving factors in poor health of carepartners and requiring an individual to be placed into long term care outside of their home. These behaviors often arise because the person is losing cells in areas of their brain which control their impulses or ability to focus. Behaviors like anger, aggression, wandering or agitation may also surface because of a physical discomfort or environmental factors that the individual with cognitive impairment is unable to communicate. Behavioral and personality changes can be challenging for family, friends and care partners as their loved one seems unlike their normal self. It is important to recognize that these behaviors are considered to be expected changes and are referred to as “neuropsychiatric symptoms” of dementia. Care partners should be supported with culturally appropriate tools to learn how to respond to changes in their loved ones who have these symptoms as a result of dementia. These behavior changes should be met with patience and compassion by clinicians as well as the community at large, including considerations in policing, city planning, and developing age friendly communities that meet the needs of cognitively impaired older adults.
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