Top Tips for Becoming a Dementia Behaviour Detective: The 4 Ws before the Why
Behaviour is the visible tip of the iceberg — feelings lie beneath.
April is Stress Awareness Month every Top Tips Tuesday we are focusing on stress and people with dementia.
On my course “Dementia: Behaviour – A Challenge or a Gift?” I invite learners to take a different perspective. Instead of seeing behaviour as a challenge, perhaps we can change our mindset and see it as a gift – the person is sharing something about how they are feeling deep inside.
20 Top Tips for developing your dementia‑detective mindset:
- Start with the WHAT – name the specific behaviour you notice.
- Explore the WHEN – time of day, week, season or routine.
- Identify the WHERE – specific locations can hold meaning.
- Note the WHO – who was present? Who was absent?
- Ask what happened just before? (the “ABC” approach: Antecedent).
- Ask what happened afterwards? (Consequence).
- Avoid assumptions — remember: ASSUME = ASS out of U and ME.
- Observe more, judge less.
- Keep a gentle curiosity: “What might this behaviour be trying to protect?”
- Think about emotional memory — feelings last longer than facts.
- Consider past experiences you may not know about.
- Think about meaning: is the person trying to regain control, independence or safety?
- Look for patterns over days, not just moments.
- Use the behaviour itself as information, not misbehaviour.
- Talk with colleagues or family — they may hold missing pieces of the puzzle.
- Consider the person’s life story — school, work, parenting, responsibilities.
- Notice if behaviour increases during transitions (e.g., shift changes).
- Ask “What is the unmet need here?”
- Remember: you might never fully know the Why — and that’s okay.
- The goal is understanding enough to respond with compassion.
Next time, we’ll focus on Top Tips for identifying the potential causes of stress in people with dementia.
The above Top Tips are taken from my course Dementia: Behaviour – A Challenge of a Gift and its accompanying E-book.
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