From: logon23x@gmail.com   
      
   When Alzheimer's turns violent   
      
   CNN    
   iReport   
   By Madison Park, CNN   
   March 30, 2011 12:13 p.m. EDT   
      
      
   Roxanna Zamora, seen here with her brother Brian Zamora, take care of their   
   81-year-old mother Peggy Zamora at home.Roxanna Zamora, seen here with her   
   brother Brian Zamora, take care of their 81-year-old mother Peggy Zamora at   
   home.   
      
   STORY HIGHLIGHTS   
   Families struggle to balance their desire to care for patient versus their   
   safety   
      
   5% to 10% of Alzheimer's patients become violent   
   iReporters share tips: staying calm and patient, and finding support groups   
      
   (CNN) -- One minute, Sam Cohen, 80, points to photos of his kids and talks   
   about how his son wanted to become an actor.   
   The next minute, he unravels.   
   Cohen, a former New Jersey taxi driver and ironworker, is convinced his family   
   will steal his money. He talks about escaping to Israel. He ignores his grown   
   children's pleas to take his medication -- he tells them they've been   
   brainwashed. And he    
   threatens his wife, Haya.   
   "He is starting to make Charlie Sheen look rational," said his son, Michael   
   Cohen, about his dad's Alzheimer's disease.   
   Earlier this month, he went from paranoid to physically violent. An attack on   
   Haya put Cohen in a hospital psych ward.   
   Sometimes, verbal rants, as in Cohen's case, escalate, leaving families in a   
   bind. What can you do when your loved one with Alzheimer's becomes physically   
   aggressive?   
   To share patient experiences, CNN Health asked the iReport community how they   
   have dealt with the challenges of Alzheimer's. Some described being cursed,   
   kicked, slapped and bitten by their loved ones, who cannot understand their   
   actions because of their    
   disease.   
   Alzheimer's patients are often vulnerable and fragile, but in rare cases, they   
   can become the aggressor. About 5% to 10% of Alzheimer's patients exhibit   
   violent behavior. It's unclear why the outbursts occur in certain patients.   
   "If you don't understand what's happening because your brain is not   
   functioning, it can be scary," said Beth Kallmyer, senior director of   
   constituent services at Alzheimer's Association. "It's normal human behavior.   
   You might act out, become agitated, or    
   violent if you don't know what's going on."   
   Before the Alzheimer's disease, Sam Cohen had never struck or hurt his family   
   and his wife, Haya.   
   Before the Alzheimer's disease, Sam Cohen had never struck or hurt his family   
   and his wife, Haya.   
   Earlier this month, Cohen, who got an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in 2010,   
   got into a heated argument with his wife. He snatched a pot from the kitchen   
   and smashed the glass of water his wife had been holding. The glass shards cut   
   her hands and she    
   called 911.   
   "We're at a loss," his son said. His father had never before behaved in such a   
   way.   
   "It's like the 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,'" said the younger Cohen, who   
   submitted an iReport about his family's struggles. "It looks like Dad, sounds   
   like Dad, but it's not Dad."   
   His mother continues to be his primary caregiver, but is "very nervous just   
   about being around him," Cohen said.   
   While the younger Cohen is also anxious about his father's behavior, the   
   family agreed. "We don't want to just warehouse him."   
   "We feel pretty alone and we don't know what to do," Cohen said. "The hard   
   thing is getting my mom to heed the advice of experts -- even though he got   
   violent with her -- she doesn't really take advice from experts. So nothing's   
   being done."   
   Caregivers are often overwhelmed and being on call round-the-clock leaves   
   their patience in tatters. They may deny the problem, although aggressive   
   behavior often reoccurs.   
   The Chart: Alzheimer's caregivers suffer as well   
   In 2008, a 74-year-old Kentucky woman with Alzheimer's shot her    
   aughter-in-law with a gun hidden in the home. A Connecticut woman was fatally   
   beaten with a hammer by her 85-year-old husband, who had Alzheimer's.   
   The violent behavior leaves caregivers conflicted about their own safety.   
   It was a struggle for Roxanna Zamora, who takes care of her 81-year-old   
   mother, Peggy Zamora, at their Virginia home.   
   Although Peggy Zamora was fiercely protective of her bichon frise, Angel, she   
   became violent because of Alzheimer's.   
   Although Peggy Zamora was fiercely protective of her bichon frise, Angel, she   
   became violent because of Alzheimer's.   
   Starting in 2008, Zamora who has Alzheimer's, would curse and berate hired   
   caregivers, hurl objects at them and lock them out of the house. Every day,   
   she would kick, bite or punch whenever her daughter and son-in-law, Jack   
   Riegel, tried to help her    
   undress or use the restroom.   
   "She understood that this was total loss of dignity," said Riegel, who   
   submitted several iReports. "She had no control over it. I think the problem   
   was she understood enough and had no way to lash out except physically."   
   They would dodge her blows. They kept objects out of reach so she couldn't   
   throw them. They hid all the knives in the house.   
   "Of course it was pretty disturbing," said her daughter. "It was hard to feel   
   close to her, because she was so combative and mean sometimes. You just have   
   to keep remembering it is a disease."   
   They noticed her striking her beloved dog, Angel, with enough ferocity to   
   knock the bichon frise over. Her violent period lasted almost 18 months. They   
   had to keep an extra eye on the pets to make sure it didn't happen again.   
   Earlier in her life, Zamora had been an adventurous woman who had become a   
   licensed pilot in her teenage years and raised five kids in El Salvador. She   
   trotted the globe, visiting more than 50 countries.   
   Now, she could barely navigate her house.   
   Peggy Zamora,  left, in her teenage years learned to fly an airplane.  Her   
   grandmother is seated in front.   
   Peggy Zamora, left, in her teenage years learned to fly an airplane. Her   
   grandmother is seated in front.   
   Zamora would wake up in the night sobbing, insisting that a little girl had   
   just been dragged into a barn and killed. The stories grew more elaborate and   
   horrifying, she sometimes was inconsolable.   
   Those symptoms eased after her neurologist prescribed antidepressants.   
   Today, Zamora is seems to be more peaceful.   
   The challenges of Alzheimer's never wane, the iReporters said. They've joined   
   support groups, reached out to local organizations and sought weekly breaks.   
   They stressed the need to find a good doctor and help with caregiving.   
   For emergency situations that could become violent, Alzheimer's experts   
   offered these tips to placate a patient.   
   1. Back down.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)