OBJECTIVE: To study, by direct observation, physically aggressive behavior (PAB) in a cohort of older persons with dementia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A locked special care unit for Alzheimer's Disease and an ordinary skilled unit of two suburban nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty men and women with a history of PAB. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Portable bar-code-readers and daily diaries were used to determine the frequency of PAB as well as to elucidate the antecedents and consequences of it. PAB was most often directed toward staff (23/28 episodes), usually in the context of personal care (15/23 episodes). In the majority of cases, verbal aggression or non-compliance preceded the PAB. Most often PAB was followed by a rapid return to non-aggressive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Very little PAB was truly spontaneous, nor was it usually the participant's normal behavior. Most PAB occurred in response to intrusion into the participant's personal space by staff or other residents. The PAB is better understood as a defensive response than an expression of anger.
OBJECTIVE: To study, by direct observation, physically aggressive behavior (PAB) in a cohort of older persons with dementia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A locked special care unit for Alzheimer's Disease and an ordinary skilled unit of two suburban nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty men and women with a history of PAB. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Portable bar-code-readers and daily diaries were used to determine the frequency of PAB as well as to elucidate the antecedents and consequences of it. PAB was most often directed toward staff (23/28 episodes), usually in the context of personal care (15/23 episodes). In the majority of cases, verbal aggression or non-compliance preceded the PAB. Most often PAB was followed by a rapid return to non-aggressive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Very little PAB was truly spontaneous, nor was it usually the participant's normal behavior. Most PAB occurred in response to intrusion into the participant's personal space by staff or other residents. The PAB is better understood as a defensive response than an expression of anger.
Authors: Jeanne A Teresi; Katja Ocepek-Welikson; Mildred Ramirez; Joseph P Eimicke; Stephanie Silver; Kimberly Van Haitsma; Mark S Lachs; Karl A Pillemer Journal: Gerontologist Date: 2013-02-28
Authors: Elizabeth L Sampson; Nicola White; Baptiste Leurent; Sharon Scott; Kathryn Lord; Jeff Round; Louise Jones Journal: Br J Psychiatry Date: 2014-07-24 Impact factor: 9.319
Authors: Karl Pillemer; Stephanie Silver; Mildred Ramirez; Jian Kong; Joseph P Eimicke; Gabriel D Boratgis; Rhoda Meador; Leslie Schultz; Mark S Lachs; Julia Nolte; Emily K Chen; Jeanne A Teresi Journal: J Am Geriatr Soc Date: 2021-12-27 Impact factor: 5.562