Why We Don’t Call it Resident-to-Resident “Aggression”

Words matter, a lot. Words used to describe elders living with dementia reflect and shape the ways in which they are perceived by direct care partners, which profoundly influences the ways in which they are approached, cared for, and treated. Imagine that you and I are elders with dementia living in a care home. I invade your personal space ten times over a period of 15 minutes. At first you respond politely by asking me to leave the area, but the invasions continue and gradually you lose your patience and become very angry. Direct care partners are not in the…