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Agitation in Elderly Persons: An Integrative Report of Findings in a Nursing Home

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2005

Jiska Cohen-Mansfield ,
Marcia S. Marx  and
Perla Werner
Jiska Cohen-Mansfield
Affiliation:
Research Institute of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Rockville, Maryland, U.S.A. Center on Aging, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
Marcia S. Marx
Affiliation:
Research Institute of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Rockville, Maryland, U.S.A. Center on Aging, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
Perla Werner
Affiliation:
Research Institute of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Rockville, Maryland, U.S.A. Center on Aging, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Agitated behaviors in the nursing home pose a major problem for caregivers. Our data showed that the three syndromes of agitation—aggressive behaviors, physically nonaggressive behaviors, and verbally agitated behaviors—are differentially related to medical and psychosocial variables. Physically nonaggressive behaviors may be adaptive for a resident who presents a deteriorated stage of dementia, since these behaviors offer stimulation and exercise. Verbally agitated behaviors may be a form of help-seeking behaviors for residents with physical disease and depressed affect. Aggressive behaviors are those least understood, although these behaviors correlate with advanced stages of dementia and with poor interpersonal relationships. These findings should be a basis for further studies, with the ultimate goal being improved care for agitated elderly persons.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , October 1992 , pp. 221 - 240
Copyright
© 1992 Springer Publishing Company

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