Are people who live with dementia sometimes uncooperative, upset, angry or even “aggressive?” Yes. But then again, so am I. If provoked, do people who live with dementia sometimes “lash out?” Yes. But then again, so do I, although extremely rarely in a physical way because I have other means to express my anger. If I didn’t have those means, who knows what I might do?

I don’t believe, in general, that responsive behaviour attributed to dementia is the result of whatever brain disease (e.g. Alzheimer) is causing it. I don’t believe it because people who don’t live with dementia, including me, would behave in the same ways under similar circumstances.

Many care partners, care workers, and medical professionals make the mistake of blaming the responsive behaviour of people who live with dementia on their disease. Jumping to this more-often-than-not erroneous conclusion means the root cause(s) of the behaviour remain(s) unknown.

Read more on My Alzheimer’s Story.