Why do Alzheimer's sufferers cry

In western society, the population is getting older. The increase in life expectancy presents us with a great challenge: higher rates of pathology in old age. Here we are faced with the great challenge of dementia, a syndrome that encompasses the progressive deterioration of cognitive functions and that affects the daily life of the patient. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia (between 60% and 70% of cases).

In order to increase the quality of life of people with this pathology, it is important that we are informed about what dementia is, why people with dementia have behavioral disturbances and how we can help them. In this Psychology-Online article, we talk about what a person with Alzheimer's feels and why do Alzheimer's patients cry.

Index

1. Why do people with dementia cry?
2. Causes of crying in Alzheimer's patients
3. What does a person with Alzheimer's feel
4. How to calm someone with Alzheimer's disease?

The Alzheimer disease it is the leading cause of dementia. Dementia is a condition that encompasses diverse symptoms and is defined as the deterioration of mental abilities (attention, memory, perception, language, concentration, reasoning ...) and behavioral disturbances (agitation, inhibition, aggressiveness...). For this reason, dementia and Alzheimer's are sometimes talked about interchangeably. However, they are not the same, Alzheimer's is only one of the causes of dementia, while this is not a disease as such, but a syndrome that encompasses a set of symptoms. In these articles, you will find the Difference between Alzheimer's and senile dementia and the Differences between Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.

Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease, since it degenerates the cells of the nervous system: neurons. The cause is believed to be in the role of two proteins. Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which are toxic to neurons, cause them to be damaged, die, and brain tissue deteriorate. So much so, that changes in the brain prove to be appreciated visually with techniques of neuroimaging such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or positrons.

Damage begins in regions where neurons are most sensitive, for example, hippocampus (whose function is related to memory and learning) is very susceptible to the effects of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, one of the first observable symptoms is the problem to consolidate memories.

Next, brain deterioration affects the areas where highly specialized neurons are found, those responsible for the higher cognitive functions such as attention and concentration, working memory, reasoning, language, execution of conduct, emotional management and impulse control. Therefore, one of the symptoms of Alzheimer's is altered mood, emotional lability and uncontrollable crying. Alzheimer's patients may cry for no apparent reason, because they have lost the ability to regulate their emotions and manage their behavior.

They may also cry for some good reason. We will see them in the next section.

Although crying is one more symptom of the disease, sometimes it may be indicating some type of discomfort that we must identify and solve as far as possible.

• Physical discomfort: it may be that the person has some pain, discomfort or physiological need and cannot verbalize it correctly due to impaired reasoning and language. Any discomfort may be causing the person to be irritable or to have an intense and uncontrollable crying episode.
• External stimuli: It may also happen that you are overwhelmed by sounds, lights, movement, or bustle in the environment.
• Psychological factors: At the beginning of the disease, there is usually awareness of the deterioration and it can be a cause of anguish for the person, it can also miss loved ones, it can feel loneliness, melancholy, can be sad, be afraid, etc., and cry about it. People with Alzheimer's can also continue to cry for the same reasons as someone who does not have the disease.

One of the most frequently asked questions in psychogerontology is whether Alzheimer's patients are aware of the deterioration and how they perceive it. Let's see how patients live their disease.

First phases

In the early stages, the patient is aware of her congitive deterioration. You may realize that her memory is failing, that she is disoriented, that she is not able to identify a person, she does not get a word..., in these situations they appear frustration and fear. The fear can be very intense when the person realizes that she does not remember certain important things, she may feel that she is losing part of her being.

When a person perceives the loss of their cognitive abilities, they become very scared, they feel uncertainty and even embarrassment for needing some help. Faced with memory and language problems, the patient feels a lot of frustration for not being able to remembering something in particular or not being able to express what they think because they cannot find the words adequate. In general, people with Alzheimer's may feel alone,misunderstood and confused.

Intermediate phases

Once the deterioration progresses, the person is no longer aware of the cognitive deficit, but can feel very overwhelmed by not understanding the environment. Impaired language can affect understanding, in which case the person does not fully understand what others are trying to convey. That produces anguish and restlessness.

It is difficult for them to know the reasons for people's actions. For example, when a caregiver helps a sick person undress, the person with Alzheimer's may not understand her intentions and feel that you are invading your personal space and her indimity and that, in the face of this, you react with anguish and agitation.

The capacities to regulate behavior, executive functions, cognitive flexibility and skills are deteriorating social issues such as understanding, empathy, assertiveness..., all this can lead to conflicts in interpersonal relationships, greater irritability, anger frustration...

There may also be problems in perception and may present hallucinations (stimuli perceived by the senses that do not correspond to reality). The emotional reaction will depend on the content of these hallucinations. For example: you can hear a kind and friendly voice that does not generate anxiety, or you can see a dangerous animal that generates in the patient a panic reaction.

Another of the common symptoms in dementias are delusions (unreal beliefs that are perceived and believed to be totally real and irrefutable). There are many types of delusions, a very common delusion is the delusion of ruin. People with dementia with this type of delusion believe that they have lost their possessions and money. That produces a lot of worry and anxiety. Another common delusion is the celotypical delusion, in which the person is convinced that her spouse is unfaithful, without any basis. In this case, the person feels pain, mistrust and anxiety. In each type of delirium, the experience will be different and will also vary depending on the person.

Advanced phases

When cognitive impairment is severe, the person loses the ability to relate to the environment, so they leave isolating, the ability to perform basic activities of daily living, such as eating, walking, or even staying sitting.

We know that one of the things that last the longest are emotional memories, so they can react positively to relatives, known music, etc.

Each person is unique, and patients with dementia continue to have their individual differences. They do not have to present all the symptoms or experience them in the same way.

Agitation or intense crying episodes are common in people with Alzheimer's due to the involvement of the disease. Let's see how to calm a person with dementia:

1. Our tone and attitude

For any intervention to work, the premise is that our tone and attitude be friendly and respectful. Must speak slowly, pausing, respecting their rhythms, repeat as many times as necessary... All with an attitude calm and relaxed, which is what we want to convey to you.

2. Basic needs

The first thing to calm a crying person with dementia is to ensure that her basic needs are met: that she has eaten, drunk, rested, is clean, etc.

3. Comfort

Make sure that you are comfortable: that your clothes do not constrict, change your position, change your location, check that the temperature is comfortable, etc.

4. Health

Before an episode of agitation or crying, it is essential to explore her state of health. A medical examination should be carried out, because crying may be triggered by pain or discomfort that he does not know how to express.

• Urine infection is very common in older women and can cause this emotional instability. If it is a probable cause based on your medical history, a test strip should be taken and antibiotic treatment started. All this prescribed by the corresponding health personnel.
• There may also be other conditions such as a contracture, and there could even be a fracture.
• Hip fracture is common in older women.
• The skin should be watched for allergies or irritations that bother you.
• As well as the state of the stool, since it could have gastrointestinal upset.

5. To ask

Once we have made sure that there is no physical discomfort that we must solve, we must ask the person What happens. It may explain some reason (which may be real or a delusional belief) or it may not explain anything. We can also ask you what do you need. The investment should be adjusted to the cognitive state of the person with dementia.

6. Validate the emotion

Whatever the reason, we will validate the emotion (not the belief or the reason). We will be understanding, empathetic and we will not make any judgments (crying is not right or wrong).

7. Accompany

As we have seen in the previous section, it is common for people with dementia to feel disoriented, disoriented, worried, anguished..., therefore, in crying crises, we will be by your side physically and emotionally, accompanying the emotional expression, being a positive and stable pillar that favors the return to calm.

8. Emotional translation

In the event that the state of their reasoning and language allow it, we will explain to the person why what is happening to them. For instance:

• "Sure, you have seen a dog that wanted to attack you (in case of presenting a visual hallucination) and you have been nervous. That is why you are crying so much. Here you can cry and vent. You're okay and you're safe with us. "
• "I understand you. You have seen your family and you have been very excited. That is why you are crying. It is normal for us to get emotional with our loved ones. I hope you enjoy their company very much. "
• "Sometimes we cry and we don't even know why. No problem. Crying is an emotional expression and is normal. Do you want a hug or that we breathe together? "

9. Offer support

Depending on your level of understanding, we can explain that you can turn to us when you are nervous or overwhelmed. We can tell you that you can come to us for whatever you need, that we are there to help, etc.

We can also offer a gesture of affection, a hug, a caress, a

10. Distraction

Once we have made room for emotional expression, we can help them relax through distraction. We can do several things:

• Offer an object that catches their attention.
• Start a conversation on a topic of interest to you.
• Change of space.
• Go for a walk.
• Start an activity, either folding towels or painting pictures.
• Catch their atention. For example: "Have you seen how the flowers in the garden have grown? Let's see them! "" Do you like my nails? Do you want us to paint yours? "

9. Positive stimuli

We can also turn to things that we know you like and relax you. This implies knowing the person well. It can be a photograph of a relative, even calling a relative to hear his voice, a glass of his favorite drink, a game that like, talk about topics such as your wedding day, a perfume or cream of your liking, a massage, a stuffed animal, a song, a sample of affected... There are a thousand options, it will depend on the person.

Depending on the level of deterioration and personal preferences, we will choose the most useful options for each case.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Why do Alzheimer's sufferers cry, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• Deví, J. (2015). Manual of clinical intervention in psychogerontology. Herder Editorial.
• Caprara, M., & López Bravo, M. D. (2014). Psychogerontology.
• Fernández-Ballesteros, R. (2004). The psychology of old age. Multidisciplinary meetings.