A Certified Financial Planner, Nancy Oriola serves as chief executive officer of Aging Life Network, a network of professionals that helps seniors and their families navigate the health care system to get the assistance they need. Through this network, Nancy Oriola provides resources to address healthcare issues and concerns, including behavioral changes resulting from dementia.

Aggressive behaviors such as verbal threats and abuse, damaging property, and physical violence are likely to occur in people with dementia. Sometimes, aggression can happen due to neurological changes or environmental factors that act as triggers. Health issues including physical pain, illness, impaired vision or hearing, side effects of medication, sleep deprivation, and fatigue, also can result in aggressive behavior.

A sense of fear or failure may precipitate a feeling of agitation for those unable to manage normal tasks. People with dementia also can resort to aggressive behavior as a defense mechanism when they fail to recognize people or understand what is going on around them.