Personal conflicts, even violence, are not uncommon in long-term care
At an assisted living facility in New York State, a small crowd gathered at the entrance to the dining room at lunchtime, waiting for the doors to open. As one researcher observed, a woman, tired and frustrated, asked the man in front of her to move; she didn't seem to have heard."Come on let's go!" she screamed—and she pushed the walker at him.In Salisbury, Maryland, a woman woke up in the dark to find another resident in her bedroom at an assisted living complex. Her daughter, Rebecca Addy-Twaits, suspected her 87-year-old mother, who suffered from dementia and could become confused, was hallucinating the encounter.But the man, who lived down the hall, returned half a dozen times, sometimes during Mrs. Addy-Twaits' visits. He never threatened or harmed her mother, but "s...