How do I deal with temper tantrums caused by dementia?

I hated it when my daughter had tantrums, and I hated it when my father had tantrums!

Could he/she have a urinary tract infection? That often causes big changes in behavior.

The most important thing is to keep yourself safe, by leaving if necessary. The second most important is to keep him/her safe. Try not to get upset over the yelling, any more than you would with a three year old. The tantrum is often a reaction to hunger, pain, fear, confusion or sadness, just as it is with a young child.

Tell him/her that you love her, and that you will keep her safe. Probably the details "causing" the tantrum aren't that important, but are just a trigger.

Discuss this with the doctor to see if medication can help - an antidepressant or antipsychotic. Going through the tantrum is hard on her, too, so if it can be avoided with drugs, it's better for both of you.

you just dont disagree with them. if they want to eat soup with their fingers let em eat soup with their fingers. thats the idea anyway as long as nobody is being harmed. my mom stood on the porch and threw wrenches and sockets as far as she could throw em the other day. it didnt make any sense but it didnt hurt anyone.

Temper tantrums, separation anxiety and loss of object permanence - it really is a second childhood. My mother-in-law becomes anxious when my husband leaves - he calls it separation anxiety. She swears she is at the nursing home all by herself, no staff is there to care for her - loss of object permanence (if you can't see them, they don't exist). I'm grateful she isn't throwing temper tantrums. I think handling the temper tantrum like you would with a child is a valid suggestion.

"Learn to respond, instead of react."

One of my favorite Buddhist proverbs...I think it applies in this case, for sure.
In other words...don't be driven by your emotions and react...take a moment and think about it and let your mind respond to the situation rather than your heart, temper, impatience, or frustration.

I don't know if you have children or not - but handle it just like you would a child. Change the subject, walk away or ignore it. A person with Dementia doesn't have a mind functioning at full capacity. So they sometimes don't even know what they're doing. I would try one of those. If you would elaborate a little more, you might be able to get more help.