You think you’re having a normal day with your elderly loved one, but then you realize that no matter what you’ve said, she’s had something unpleasant to say in return. Having those types of unfriendly conversations and even fights with your elderly loved one isn’t fun and doesn’t provide a conducive environment for caregiving.
Pain Can Make Your Elderly Loved One React with Anger
Pain, in general, can make anyone cranky or angry. Your elderly loved one might experience pain for a variety of different reasons. It might be chronic pain from an old injury or your loved one might experience pain from newer issues, such as osteoarthritis. Regardless of the cause of the pain, it can cause your loved one to lash out at the people that she loves.
Look at Medication Interactions
Medications can interact with each other and magnify the side effects that your loved one might experience. If she’s taking quite a few different medications, it helps to talk with her doctor about how those medications might affect her personality. Your loved one’s doctor might opt to change the medications or the dosages to help her to have a better experience with them.
Look at Potential Health Issues
Some health issues can cause your loved one’s personality to change or can lead to your loved one being angrier than she should be in a given situation. Bladder infections, for example, can have markedly different symptoms in an elderly loved one than in a younger person. Other health problems, such as Alzheimer’s disease, can have some similar effects on your loved one.
You Might Both Need a Break
One really simple explanation for your loved one suddenly fighting more with you is that you both need to take a break from the situation. Caregiving is incredibly demanding and it can mean that you’re spending almost every waking minute with your elderly loved one. Think back to the last time you took even a couple of hours away. If it’s been so long that you can’t remember it clearly, it’s time to book some elderly care providers and step away for a bit.
When you find yourself in this situation, take some deep breaths and remember not to take the anger personally