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Restlessness is common in people living with dementia and may include pacing, fidgeting, repeatedly standing up, or trying to leave home. While these behaviors can be worrying for caregivers, they are often a sign of an unmet physical or emotional need.
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s, Lisa Skinner explores possible causes of restlessness, including hunger, thirst, pain, discomfort, boredom, anxiety, bladder or bowel needs, and changes in the person’s environment. She also shares practical ways caregivers can respond with greater understanding, reassurance, and safety.
In This Episode:
- Common reasons a person with dementia may become restless
- How pain, temperature, hunger, thirst, and toileting needs may affect behavior
- Ways meaningful activities and familiar surroundings can reduce anxiety
- Why pacing may be calming or purposeful
- How to respond when someone repeatedly wants to leave home
- Simple safety measures caregivers can put in place
Key Takeaway:
Restlessness is often a form of communication. Looking beyond the behavior and identifying the person’s underlying need can help reduce distress while preserving dignity and independence.
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About the Host:
Author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is both a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is also a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.
Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Lisa’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her #1 Best-seller book “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle so they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and through her workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Lisa Skinner has appeared on many national and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.
So many people today are heavily impacted by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. The Alzheimer's Association and the World Health Organization have projected that the number of people who will develop Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 worldwide will triple if a treatment or cure is not found. Society is not prepared to care for the projected increase of people who will develop this devastating disease. In her 30 years of working with family members and caregivers who suffer from dementia, Lisa has recognized how little people really understand the complexities of what living with this disease is really like. For Lisa, it starts with knowledge, education, and training.
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