Dealing with aggression

Such confusion

Registered User
Nov 26, 2023
25
0
My mom 93 with mixed vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s gets extremely aggressive towards me. We live together. She is on Memantine since her diagnosis in August. Before her diagnosis she was more aggressive so Memantine helps.She gets aggressive as she blames me for taking her things especially her watch an insists I pawned it which I didn’t. Her wardrobes and draws are all jumbled up so no wonder she can’t find anything. She said a GP never prescribed Memantine and she should be on one tablet but will still only take half.
How do I get her to calm down as she won’t let me hug her or have music playing softly.
 

Sarasa

Volunteer Host
Apr 13, 2018
7,441
0
Nottinghamshire
Welcome to Dementia Support Forum @Such confusion. Your mother sounds like she is in the difficult mid-stages with dementia. I don't know if this thread will help with some ways to distract your mum when she starts to become aggressive. I couldn't always manage to distract my mum, but when I could it helped a little.
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/threads/compassionate-communication-with-the-memory-impaired.30801/. If you are concerned that either she or you will come to harm keep a phone on you and have a safe place to go. Then phone 111.
As for things to calm her down. Maybe asking her to sort socks or some other repetitive task might help. I'm sure others will be along with some better ideas shortly. I will say that soft music in the background would do the reverse of calm me down. I'm deaf, I only want music on if I am seriously listening to it. Something on that I can't hear properly I find very stressful. That might not be the reason your mum doesn't like it, but she might just find noises are something adding to her confusion.