My mother’s moodiness is showing more and more each week, how do I best handle her moodiness?

Ignore it.

I am daily dealing with this and try to change the subject and create some humor, but I must admit, it stresses me. I know not to take it personally, but it is hard not to. I thank God that most of my family supports me. My mom lives in independent/assisted living and is fairly active and is constantly complaining there is not enough to do. but she expects me to create all her entertainment and I am not able and willing.

I agree, the antidepressants help temendously , start slowly and in a few weeks you will see improvement. If the moods get agressive as the disease progresses, depakote is what My Mom is on also. I hear you with the mood swings, it just got worse for my Mom with time. There was no reasoning with her, no diverting her attention, nothing worked once she was in one of these moods.
best of luck

My 84 year old cranky often confused mother just started taking Citalopram (Celexa) and it seems to have helped a lot. She says she feels less moody and seems happier. I am normally very skeptical of mood drugs but in this case it is a useful tool. She also recently got a new gentleman friend that she met at the senior center and that has helped her mood tremendously as well. Does your mother go to the local senior center or get out to do any activities? That can also be very important to their mood.

Hi Toni--From what I understand-Forgetfulness and Moodiness are a part of normal aging, and also apart of Alzheimer's disease. I waould contact your physician or even better your neurologist-as their may be a need for a medication or a medication adjustment. Or it is possible it may be totally unrelated, like a UTI. For these reasons, I think you need to get to the bottom of the moodiness issue-and the sooner the better. Once you have some answers, your Mom is exhibiting, you can then formulate some type of plan of action.
Good luck to you~
Hap

hi tonif718... we all get a bit moody from time to time. Most of the time we can figure it out what the problem is and work it out.

When Alzheimer's patients feel sad or down, I doubt they make the connection to why it is happening. Get their attention onto something else, and you may just see a smile.

We see what we look for.

Wrap a small package for her with a pretty bow, you will see a smile on her face and yours. takeCare

Toni - It's normal for alzhiemers patients to be moody and "dealing with it" is not the same as you or me - you can't "talk" them into a good mood. You can't tell them to chill out or that they are unreasonable because they lack the ability to understand and look on the bright side of things. I've read about others elders taking anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications so perhaps that's something you can discuss with your parent's doctors. I'd also recommending reading books or talking with someone about the emotional impact of alzhiemers on the patient and his/her care givers. It takes a lot of patience and understanding from the care giver. Best of luck!