When the person with AD advances to the middle stage of dementia, you will have more to do. He may be less able to cooperate with you, may refuse to take necessary medications or eat regularly or do other activities necessary to stay healthy. These behaviors sometimes are called resistance to care. They are the challenging behaviors for which medications are often recommended so the person may be less upset, angry, or difficult for the caregiver to manage. However, these medications can have serious side effects and are usually not as helpful as expected.

Some of the symptoms at this stage, such as hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia, are similar to those of people who have a mental illness. Although AD is not a mental illness, some of the same medications are prescribed. As mentioned above, while these drugs may be helpful, like all drugs, they must be used with caution, in the lowest possible doses, and checked often to see if they are working. Ask the doctor what side effects to look out for. If problems occur, ask if the person should switch to another medication or stop taking them.

NOTE
If the behavior of a person with Alzheimer's disease changes suddenly or if a symptom appears that usually occurs much later in the illness THINK MEDICAL ILLNESS and call the doctor. Alzheimer's disease progresses slowly and any sudden change in behavior probably happened because the person is sick.


Common causes of these sudden behavior changes are:

• infection, such as a urinary tract infection
• dehydration
• constipation or diarrhea
• a broken bone