title: Behavior management approach for agitated behavior in Japanese patients with dementia: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Agitated behaviors are frequently observed in patients with dementia and can cause severe distress to caregivers. However, little evidence of the efficacy of nonpharmacological interventions for agitated behaviors exists for patients with dementia. The present pilot study aimed to evaluate a behavioral management program developed by the Seattle Protocols for patients with agitated behaviors in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen patients with dementia (Alzheimer's disease, n = 14; dementia with Lewy bodies, n = 4) participated in an open study testing the effectiveness of a behavioral management program. The intervention consisted of 20 sessions over the course of 3 months. The primary outcomes were severity of agitation in dementia, as measured using the Agitated Behavior in Dementia scale (ABID) and the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The behavioral management program resulted in significant reductions in total scores on both the ABID and CMAI. Although both physically agitated and verbally agitated behavior scores on the ABID improved significantly, symptoms of psychosis did not improve after the intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The behavioral management technique may be beneficial to distressed caregivers of patients with dementia. In the future, a well designed study to develop the behavioral management program more fully is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Shutaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakaaki
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Torii
authors.forename: Mizuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Negi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tatsumi
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narumoto
authors.forename: Toshi A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mimura
keywords: Agitated Behavior in Dementia scale; Alzheimer’s disease; agitated behavior; behavioral management; dementia with Lewy bodies