How should I handle my mom with dementia going into an irrational, aggressive and abusive rage for hours?

Dontask4handout...UTIs in elders - at least those with alz/dementia - can cause extreme behavioral issues...It can almost mimic a psychotic break. But if the UA has ruled this out - once the sample's been cultured. For anyone who's female loved one has chronic UTIs, you can ask the clinic's lab for specimen cups & those collection "hats" that are perfect for collecting a sample without a ton of hassle. I always have a couple on hand. So much easier to do this all at home & run it to the clinic after. I've heard about the d-mannose & am going to start adding that to her daily routine.

As for OP, it definitely seems like a medication tune-up is in order. If her doc seems to shrug it off, then might try a psychiatrist who specializes in Alz/dementia.

My Mom has been doing this also for about 3 weeks. Yes UTIs can cause irrational behavior my Moms were chronic she now takes d-mannose cranactine a natural substance and hasn't had another one so far. Hopefully she will go to psych appt in a couple days to get meds checked. She's taking low dose of seroquel maybe it needs to be increased for a while. Hope this is helpful .

It sounds like you need to get the cops involved because she's getting physical. They will remove her and get her to a facility where she can get the help she needs and if she needs it, she will be involuntarily committed to a facility. 

Someone here mentioned a UTI. That just don't make no sense to me. People get UTIs all the time and don't get violent like that. It sounds to me like a later stage dementia or Alzheimer's and she needs to be involuntarily committed to a proper facility surrounded by staff who are specifically trained to deal with this kind of thing. She needs to be around trained professionals 24 seven

my mom threatens the throw me out i bet it happens after noon maybe round 2 pm !! that is sundown effect if ya wanna call it that ...well for me she did that & 2 times i take a hour long walk with my dog & come back she has claim down try that & also if it happens at he same time what you can do is play something on t.v that she really loves & get that on & then if she still acts up then leave for that hour ...try to do that let me know if it helps ..google the sundown syndrome & see --good luck ,.later M

Thanks fregflyer. The last time she acted like this, she was tested for UTI. It came back negative. I think it has to do with constant mood swings.

MYPETUNIA615, another idea is that your Mom might also be suffering from an urinary tract infection [UTI] which can cause many different strange and abusive symptoms. This is somewhat common in elders. The test is fairly easy if Mom cooperates, peeing in a cup. It was can controlled with antibiotics.

Thank you texastalking. It is hard to deal with. Take care of yourself also.

Yes, this type of behavior can be very common with dementia. It is very scary and hard to deal with. I agree you should speak with her doctor. Usually this happens in late stage dementia. You may have to consider a care facility, as sometimes we are just not equipped to deal with this type of behavior in the home environment. Please take care of yourself too.

Thanks Jeanne Gibbs. She is under the care of a geriatric doctor. I will discuss this with him.

What kind of doctor is treating her dementia? (psychiatrist, GP, geriatrician, neurologist, etc) Is she on any meds for it? Have you discussed this with her doctor? If her doctor is not a specialist and hasn't any idea of how to treat this, it might be time to switch to a specialist. There may be medications that can greatly reduce this behavior.

One way to get help would be to call 911 the next time she is in a rage. In the ER ask that she be evaluated for her mental health problems. They will look at all the drugs she is taking and perhaps try others, under their close supervision.

But calling 911 is a last resort, I think (since she really isn't hurting herself or you). First, discuss this with a doctor very experienced with dementia.