Davison Tanya E, Hudgson Catherine, McCabe Marita P, George Kuruvilla, Buchanan Greg
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2007 Oct;19(5):859-73. doi: 10.1017/S1041610206004224. Epub 2006 Sep 14.
Behavioral symptoms of dementia are common among residents in mainstream aged care settings, and have a substantial impact on residents and professional caregivers. This study evaluated the impact of individualized psychosocial interventions for behavioral symptoms through a small preliminary study.
Interventions were delivered to a patient group of 31 psychogeriatric aged care residents who presented with behavioral symptoms of dementia that had failed to respond to pharmacological treatment approaches. Outcome data on severity of behaviors, health service utilization and staff burden of care were collected.
A modest but significant reduction in staff ratings of the severity of aggressive and verbally agitated behavioral symptoms was found, with an associated reduction in their perceptions of the burden of caring for these patients. Reduced behavioral disturbance was associated with a reduction in the requirement for primary care consultations, and all participants were able to continue to reside in mainstream aged care facilities, despite an increase in the severity of dementia.
This study supported the use of individualized psychological strategies for behavioral symptoms at all stages of dementia. Methodological limitations of this preliminary study are discussed.
痴呆的行为症状在主流老年护理机构的居民中很常见，对居民和专业护理人员有重大影响。本研究通过一项小型初步研究评估了针对行为症状的个性化心理社会干预措施的影响。
对31名患有痴呆行为症状且药物治疗方法无效的老年精神科护理居民患者组实施干预措施。收集了关于行为严重程度、卫生服务利用情况和护理人员护理负担的结果数据。
发现护理人员对攻击性行为和言语激动行为症状严重程度的评分有适度但显著的降低，同时他们对护理这些患者负担的认知也有所降低。行为干扰的减少与初级保健咨询需求的减少相关，尽管痴呆严重程度有所增加，但所有参与者都能够继续住在主流老年护理机构。
本研究支持在痴呆的各个阶段使用针对行为症状的个性化心理策略。讨论了这项初步研究的方法学局限性。
