People with dementia can display a wide range of behaviors, including cognitive issues like confusion and memory loss, alongside emotional and psychological changes such as agitation, aggression, anxiety, apathy, depression, and disinhibition, often driven by unmet needs, environmental stress, or internal biological factors, and may also involve wandering, sleep disturbances, repetitive actions, and delusions/hallucinations, all stemming from brain changes rather than intentional acts.
Dementia behaviors stem from brain changes and include personality shifts, memory issues, mood swings (anxiety, depression, irritability), agitation, aggression, delusions, hallucinations, disinhibition (saying/doing inappropriate things), repetitive actions (pacing, fiddling), and sleep disturbances (sundowning). These symptoms are the disease, not the person, and often result from unmet needs, communication breakdowns, environmental triggers, or underlying pain, requiring patient redirection, routine, and focusing on comfort.
Others may perceive these behaviours as unwanted, irrational, or problematic and try to contain them. But such behaviours may be the person's only way of communicating pain, frustration, loneliness, fear, boredom, and unmet needs such as a full bladder or hunger.
Social worker explains 5 behaviors common in dementia and how to deal with them
Dementia can affect a person's personality and habits, which may lead to changes in behaviour. For example, they may no longer be able to do things they enjoy or follow their interests without help, or they may experience symptoms of depression.
Common changes in behaviour
However, dementia aggression can still occur without any warning or triggers. Three of the most common types of behavioral triggers in dementia patients are confusion, pain or discomfort, and a changing or overwhelming environment.
People with dementia are likely to walk or pace aimlessly at some point during the disease. This wandering behavior can occur both indoors and outdoors, and it may have several causes. It may be the result of memory loss and disorientation. It may be a sign of curiosity, restlessness or boredom.
The person may be more anxious, frightened or sad, and so at risk of depression. It is also common to become more irritable – perhaps in frustration at lost abilities – or easily upset. A person can often be more withdrawn, lack self-confidence and lose interest in hobbies or people.
Behavioral symptoms like moodiness, apathy, changes in personality, unsocial behaviors and language difficulty can be part of the disease. Behavior and personality often change with dementia.
This behavior is often called “wandering” by clinicians, researchers, and caregivers. Wandering can be triggered by a desire to look for something or someone, such as a family member or friend, or by a “need” to fulfill a former obligation such as going to work.
Ten Examples of Behaviours of Concern
Dementia can cause significant changes in a person's mood and behavior. This can include increased irritability, depression, anxiety, agitation, and apathy. Some individuals may also exhibit more pronounced behavioral changes such as aggression or wandering.
The 10 warning signs of dementia include memory loss, difficulty with familiar tasks, confusion about time/place, trouble with language, poor judgment, misplacing things, personality changes, loss of initiative, and problems with visual/spatial skills, requiring professional assessment to distinguish from normal aging.
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Behavioral disorders such as aggressiveness, agitation, delusions, disinhibition, affect lability, and apathy arise in more than 90% of patients with dementia.
Four common behaviors that people with dementia often exhibit
Individuals living with Alzheimer's or other dementia may experience mood and personality changes. They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, with friends or when out of their comfort zone.
Although the early signs vary, common early symptoms of dementia include: memory problems, particularly remembering recent events. increasing confusion. reduced concentration.
Weird Things Dementia Patients Do: Strange Behaviors, Odd Symptoms, And Tips. Dementia can manifest in unexpected and often unsettling ways. From hoarding and wandering to aggression and hallucinations, these behaviors can be distressing for both the individual and their caregivers.
Behavioral disturbances in dementia are often globally described as “agitation” including verbal and physical aggression, wandering, and hoarding.
You Miss Out on Sleep
You do a few things you know you shouldn't -- we all do. But some of those bad habits can take a toll on your brain. For example, lack of sleep may be a cause of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.
A recent meta-analysis revealed that higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness are consistent predictors of higher dementia risk, across dementia types, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia assessment methods, follow-up lengths, and countries (Aschwanden et al., 2021).
Here are some common reasons why individuals may engage in behaviours of concern: