Home Care in Huntington Beach CA
It is not uncommon for seniors coping with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia to develop negative behaviors in the later stages. One of these behaviors can be aggression, or becoming combative during normal care activities. The Alzheimer’s Association notes that this type of aggression can come in the form of either verbal or physical combativeness, and that it can come on 
very suddenly and with seemingly no explanation.
No matter how common combative behaviors are for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, however, they can be extremely difficult to cope with as a family caregiver, and can even diminish your relationship with your aging loved ones. If you are facing combative behaviors from your parent in your care relationship, hiring a home care provider may help.
Some of the ways that hiring an in home health care services provider may be able to help you cope with your parent’s combative behaviors include:
• Experience. It is normal to be upset and even frightened by something that you have not experienced before or that is unfamiliar for you, and this can make it more difficult for you to know how to respond properly and adequately. A home care provider, however likely has experience caring for seniors dealing with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, and has seen these types of combative behaviors before. Her experience puts her at ease and allows her to feel more in control of the situation, ensuring that your parents receive the care that they need safely and effectively.
• Coping techniques. Along with the experience of having seen these behaviors before, home care providers often have coping techniques that they use specifically to defuse stressful situations, ease anxiety, and calm seniors who are experiencing these behaviors. It is important to remember that these combative behaviors are most often a response to stress, anxiety, fear, or some physical need that is not being fulfilled. The care provider can use her coping techniques to ease the problem, find the origin, and make your parent more comfortable.
• Respite. Any situation seems worse when you are tired, overwhelmed, and stressed. These are common feelings for a family caregiver, and they can make encountering combative behaviors all the more unpleasant and hard to deal with. A respite care provider can step in to give you a much-needed break during your care journey, which offers you the opportunity to step away from the situation, get some rest, ease your own high levels of emotions, and come back calmer and more prepared.
• Separation. It is an unfortunate reality that the recipient of negative behaviors, including combativeness, is often the person that is closest to a senior coping with dementia. The senior may be feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed about needing help from an adult child, or may just feel angry about his situation, which he cannot process properly due to his dementia. Allowing a neutral care provider to handle some of his care tasks can ease this discomfort and reduce the negative feelings that can lead to combative behaviors.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Huntington Beach, CA or the surrounding Orange County areas, please call us at 949-535-2211. We provide senior care services in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Woods, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo and surrounding areas of Orange County California. Contact us today to learn more.
