title: Can agitated behavior of nursing home residents with dementia be prevented with the use of standardized stimuli?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relative effect of different types of stimuli on agitated behaviors of nursing home residents with dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Repeated-measures design with randomized assignment of conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven Maryland nursing homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eleven nursing home residents with a diagnosis of dementia who exhibited agitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Different types of stimuli (music, social stimuli, simulated social stimuli, and individualized stimuli based on the person's self-identity) were presented.
  
  
  METHODS
  Agitation was directly observed and recorded using the Agitation Behavior Mapping Instrument.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All stimulus categories were associated with significantly less physical agitation than baseline observations, and all except for manipulative stimuli were associated with significantly less total agitation. Live social stimuli were associated with less agitation than music, self-identity, work, simulated social, and manipulative stimulus categories. Task and reading stimulus categories were each associated with significantly less agitation than work, simulated social, and manipulative stimulus categories. Music and self-identity stimuli were associated with less agitation than simulated social and manipulative stimuli.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Providing stimuli offers a proactive approach to preventing agitation in persons with dementia, with live social stimuli being the most successful.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute on Aging, Charles E. Smith Life Communities, Rockville, Maryland, USA. jiska@post.tau.ac.il
authors.forename: Jiska
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen-Mansfield
authors.forename: Marcia S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.forename: Maha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dakheel-Ali
authors.forename: Natalie G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Regier
authors.forename: Khin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thein
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Freedman
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009769:Object Attachment; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012649:Self Concept