If you are a family caregiver for an elderly loved one, there are many challenges that you might face. One of those could be the anger that your elderly loved one displays. Many elderly people will become angry. There are numerous reasons for this. Some of these include losing their loved ones or friends, not feeling understood, not being able to properly communicate, having more health issues than they used to, and feeling scared that they might not be able to stay in their home. If you are dealing with anger from your elderly loved one, it is important to do what you can to help them.

Using Active Listening

It is important that you pay attention to your elderly loved one if they are angry. Listen to exactly what they are saying to you and pay attention to how they sound. You should look at their body language, as well. By paying attention to all of these things, you can determine what it is that is actually making your loved one angry.

Don’t React Negatively

When your elderly loved one is angry, it is important that you and their home care providers don’t react negatively. If you respond with irritation, this is likely to make things much worse. If you can keep yourself calm and talk softly, your elderly loved one is likely to mimic what you are doing. While this might not get rid of their anger, it could help them to calm down a bit and talk more calmly.

Distraction and Redirection

Dealing with anger from your elderly loved one can be tough. You might have a tough time getting them to calm down, especially if they are stuck on something that they can’t seem to let go. However, there are two things that could help your elderly loved one to get out of their angry mindset. If you use distraction and redirection, this could help. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore your elderly loved one. However, if they can’t calm down, you can try distracting them. See if you can direct the conversation to something they might enjoy doing like watching television. If they keep going back to their anger, try redirecting them back to something more enjoyable. While this doesn’t always work, it is something that could help.

 

Handling anger in your elderly loved one might not be easy. Sometimes it can take longer to get your elderly loved one to get calm down than others. However, if you can use the tips talked about here today, you could help your elderly loved one to calm down.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering Elder Care in Teaneck, NJ, please contact the caring staff at At Home Companions today at (201) 525-0607.

Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov