The Story of Mount Carmel Assisted Living

Dr. Coury's Behavior Management Program

Dr. Coury recognized early on that Alzheimer's and dementia diseases do not just affect a patient's memory, but also their personality, methods of communication, problem solving skills, and ability to interpret their environment. Through his medical and professional experience with Alzheimer's and dementia, Dr. Coury made some significant discoveries.

He concluded that in order to provide proper care, treatment should focus on a set of fundamental principles:

• Agitated and aggressive behavior could be caused by symptoms of unmet needs. These situations must be addressed immediately. Confrontational approaches to correct a patient's behavior should always be avoided. Hallucinations or paranoia causing aggression can be effectively treated with medication.
• A sudden change in behavior could be due to a new physical illness. A thorough treatment process could resolve the problem.
• Alzheimer's and dementia patients experience a progressive decline in their ability to function. Because of this, patients can often become easily frustrated. For example, it is common for a patient to feel lost, which may result in feelings of anxiety and paranoia. For this reason, patients should be approached with kindness, understanding, and should be constantly reassured and redirected. Additionally, patients with dementia may not be able to understand spoken words, but they can easily read body language. Therefore, patients should always be approached from the front with a smile and friendly demeanor.
• Caretakers should gently and kindly redirect behavior. It is important to direct a patient's focus elsewhere when they are angry or frustrated rather than try to reason with them. This can help to avoid further anger or frustration on the part of the patient.
• Patients should be cared for in an unrestricted and safe environment. Some patients tend to wander or pace as a result of extreme anxiety, which most Alzheimer's and dementia patients suffer from. As such, patients should never be restrained in any way, and instead be allowed to move freely in a stress free environment.
• Too much activity is as bad as no activity. Therefore, a patient's environment should not be noisy or crowded.
• Music has a positive impact on behavior. It should be used frequently as a form of therapy and recreation.
• Tranquilizers and sleeping medications may have the opposite effect on Alzheimer's and dementia patients. We aim to limit the use of tranquilizers and sleeping medication if possible by working closely with the resident's physician.