Do you care for someone with alzheimer's disease who is suffering from agitation? Like memory loss, it is important to look for agitated behaviors in people with Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease is typically associated with memory loss, but in more than half of people, it can also cause a condition called agitation. When a person develops agitation, his or her behavior can change in ways that seem out of character or extreme. Agitated behaviors can be non-aggressive or aggressive. Their condition may also be a sign that a person's Alzheimer's disease is getting worse.

It is important to look for signs of agitation in a person with Alzheimer's disease who is under your care and report behaviors to his/her health care provider. Agitation can be defined as the presence of one or more of the following behaviors: excessive motor activity, verbal aggression, or physical aggression. Place a check mark next to each behavior you have seen repeatedly. When you finish the checklist, please share it with his/her healthcare provider so he or she can evaluate for agitation.

Excessive Motor Activity:

¨ Pacing and aimless wandering.

¨ Repetitive mannerisms (such as tapping, fidgeting, or picking at things)

¨ General restlessness.

¨ Rocking.

¨ Gesturing.

¨ Pointing fingers Verbal Aggression.

¨ Cursing or verbal combativeness.

¨ Shouting.

¨ Speaking in an excessively loud voice.

¨ Screaming (not related to pain)

¨ Yelling Physical Aggression.

¨ Hitting or kicking.

¨ Pushing or grabbing.

¨ Biting or scratching.

¨ Spitting (including when eating)

¨ Throwing things.

¨ Hurting self or others.

¨ Tearing things or destroying property.

¨ Shoving.

¨ Resisting.

¨ Slamming doors.

If you care for someone who you believe has signs of agitated behaviors, he/she may be eligible to enroll in the Triad research study.