title: Aggressive behavior on an inpatient geriatric unit.
abstract: 1. Violent or aggressive behavior may be a consequence of poor frustration tolerance, ineffective individual coping, impulsivity, and real or imagined threats to the individuals territory, body space, or life. 2. It is ironic that at the same time that the numbers of elderly are increasing, available services are decreasing and the number of beds in nursing homes and rest homes are lower than in the past. 3. Nurses must look at the environment in which these patients function to develop strategies and techniques to maximize independence while decreasing aggression.
authors.affiliation: Partial Hospitalization Program, Mental Health Services, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009511:New England; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000451:nursing; D012931:Social Environment