When someone living with dementia is distressed or violent, de-escalation is vital

Dr Steve Macfarlane

The recent reports of the alleged tasering of a 95-year-old woman living at the Yallambee Lodge aged care home in New South Wales has brought the issue of behaviours and psychological symptoms of dementia into sharp focus.

More than half of those living in residential care have a dementia diagnosis, and up to 95% of those living with dementia will experience such behaviours at some point during their passage through the illness.