When someone you love is living with dementia, there may come a time when their behaviour becomes increasingly difficult to manage. This is often when families begin experiencing challenging behaviours with dementia, which can be among the most distressing aspects of the condition, not only for the person themselves, but for the people who care about them most. Understanding why these behaviours happen, and knowing where to find support, can make a huge difference for everyone involved.
Understanding Challenging Behaviours With Dementia
As dementia progresses, the changes happening in the brain can affect how a person perceives the world around them. This can lead to what we often refer to as challenging behaviours with dementia. These are not deliberate actions or personality changes, but expressions of need, confusion, or distress.
Behaviours may vary depending on the type of dementia and the areas of the brain affected. Some people may become verbally or physically aggressive, while others may lose their social filter and say things that sound hurtful or inappropriate. Impulse control can diminish, leading to actions that are out of character – such as swearing, making personal remarks, or displaying sexualised behaviours. Others may experience pacing, shouting, repetitive questioning, agitation, or resistance to care.
Although these behaviours can be very difficult to witness or manage, it’s important to remember that they are symptoms of the disease, not reflections of the person’s true self. The individual you love is still there, even if dementia makes their behaviour harder to recognise or understand.
How to Cope and When to Seek Support
Coping with challenging behaviours with dementia at home can be exhausting, both emotionally and physically. The first step is always to try to look beyond the behaviour and ask what might be causing it. Is your loved one in pain, uncomfortable, or frightened? Are they bored or overstimulated? Sometimes, what appears to be aggression is actually an attempt to communicate an unmet need.
Keeping a calm tone, maintaining eye contact, and giving reassurance can help to de-escalate situations. Familiar routines, soothing music, and activities that feel purposeful can all reduce anxiety. But even with the best intentions, there are limits to what families can manage alone, and it’s important to know when to ask for help.
If your loved one’s behaviour is becoming too difficult to manage safely at home, it may be time to consider professional support. Residential care settings that specialise in dementia can provide 24-hour help, structured routines, and trained teams who understand the complex needs of people living with advanced dementia. This not only ensures your loved one’s safety and wellbeing but also gives you peace of mind and the chance to simply be family again, rather than a full-time carer.
Complex Dementia Care at B&M Care
At B&M Care, we recognise that every person’s dementia journey is unique, and some individuals may require a higher level of support to live comfortably and safely. That’s why our homes offer enhanced dementia care, designed specifically for residents who need more structured supervision and tailored interventions to support their cognitive, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
Every one of our homes has been designed with dementia in mind, with calming colours, contrasting tones to aid orientation, sensory cues, and meaningful points of interest that help residents feel secure and engaged. These carefully designed environments support the principles of our Rose Model of Dementia Care, which focuses on wellbeing, connection, and comfort.
For those living with more complex or advanced forms of dementia, B&M Care has recently introduced Complex Dementia Hubs at homes Osbourne Court, The Radley and Dalton Lodge.
These hubs provide specialist environments and advanced levels of care for individuals whose dementia symptoms present significant behavioural challenges. Each hub is designed to ensure safety, comfort, and emotional stability, with staff who are specially trained to provide empathetic, structured, and consistent support for people living with high needs dementia.
You Are Not Alone
Supporting a loved one through challenging behaviours with dementia can be one of the hardest parts of the dementia journey. Seeing your loved one behave in ways that are out of character can be heartbreaking, but you are not alone in facing it. Reaching out for professional support doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It means you’re making sure your loved one gets the care, structure, and expertise they need to live safely and meaningfully.
B&M Care’s homes, and our new Complex Dementia Hubs, are here to help families navigate these most difficult stages of the dementia journey. We are committed to ensuring that every individual, no matter how complex their needs, is cared for with compassion, understanding, and respect.