Mrs. S. believes that a thief has broken into her house and stolen a cherished piece of china. Mr. M., a loving husband of 40 years, has recently begun to follow his wife menacingly around the house. Mr. B., a former landscaper, becomes physically aggressive when his caregiver tries to help him dress.
All three people show symptoms of either dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms so common to these diagnoses that they’re often accepted as an inevitable part of a progressive decline. but Dr. Linda Buettner, a professor of gerontology and therapeutic recreation, doubts that assessment. She is searching for — and has found — ways to treat these symptoms and, in many cases, stave them off. “One of the big problems in advanced Alzheimer’s and dementia is that, commonly, people can’t explain to you what they want and what they need. and that converts into behavior problems,” she says. “We think, ‘oh, that person won’t stay in the room, they’re pushing a chair away, they’re angry.’ but, in fact, they’re trying to meet an unmet need. If we could just pinpoint that unmet need …”