Behavior and Treatment of Alzheimer

Alzheimer’sdisease causes brain cells to die, so the brain works less well over time. This changes how a person acts. This article has suggestions that may help you understand and cope with changes in personality and behavior in a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Mother with Alzheimer's and daughter interacting

Common Changes in Personality and Behavior

Common personality and behavior changes you may see include:

• Getting upset, worried, and angry more easily
• Acting depressed or not interested in things
• Hiding things or believing other people are hiding things
• Imagining things that aren’t there
• Wandering away from home
• Pacing a lot
• Showing unusual sexual behavior
• Hitting you or other people
• Misunderstanding what he or she sees or hears

You also may notice that the person stops caring about how he or she looks, stops bathing, and wants to wear the same clothes every day.

Alzheimer’sdisease is complex, and it is unlikely that any one drug or other intervention will successfully treat it. Current approaches focus on helping people maintain mental function, manage behavioral symptoms, and slow or delay the symptoms of disease. Researchers hope to develop therapies targeting specific genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms so that the actual underlying cause of the disease can be stopped or prevented.