Pause
Before you respond, take one breath. Your nervous system sets the tone of the room — calm is contagious, and so is urgency.
See the person
Behavior is communication. Ask what unmet need — pain, fear, hunger, boredom, overstimulation — is speaking through this moment.
Respond with dignity
Enter their reality. Offer choice, preserve privacy, use their name, and never correct a memory that is doing no harm.
Protect the caregiver
Care that depletes you cannot last. Every plan includes one small act of restoration for the person giving the care.
Watch for
Know the signals that mean this is clinical, not behavioral — sudden change, infection, pain, delirium, or unsafe escalation.