Behavior is a message. This book helps you understand it.

When someone you love has dementia, the hardest changes are often not the memory loss. They are the pacing, the yelling, the packed suitcase by the door, the refusal to bathe, and the accusations that come out of nowhere. Hospice and geriatric nurse practitioner Dr. Christine Johnson-Nganbou Kamkeu draws on fourteen years of caring for older adults. She shows you how to find the reason behind a behavior and respond with calm and respect.

Inside this book, you will learn:

• What sets off agitation, anger, wandering, and sundowning, and what helps.
• What to say, and what to avoid, when your loved one is upset or confused.
• How to respond to repeated questions, false beliefs, and accusations of stealing.
• How to make bathing and personal care less of a struggle.
• What families should know about medications, including the risks of antipsychotics.
• Your loved one's right to be free from restraints, and how to speak up in any care setting.
• When a behavior change is a medical emergency.

Every chapter ends with "What I Want You to Remember" and "When to Call the Healthcare Provider." The Family Toolkit includes:

• a behavior tracker
• a daily routine planner
• a wandering safety plan
• a caregiver stress check
• an In My Own Words page for the person living with dementia

Written for families, caregivers, and people living with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and other dementias.

Book One of the Dementia Made Simple for Families series.