[Biography and dementia. Origin of challenging behavior in patients with multi-infarct dementia or senile dementia of the Alzheimer type in long term care with reference the biographical level].

The aim of this study was to explore the connection between the nature of agitated behaviour and meaningful biographical experiences within two types of dementia in a moderate stadium. The two dementia types included Alzheimer Disease (SDAT) and Multi-infarction aphrenia (MID). Biographical narrative interviews with 26 nursing home residents suffering from dementia have been concluded. Topics were their first thirty years of life (based on a foreign anamnesis). The challenging behaviour has been observed systematically in nursing situations. The data has been evaluated with the comparative casuistics method (Jüttemann, 1990). The behaviour has been measured with the CMAI-scale before and also after having moved to a nursing home. Residents behaviour patterns can be divided into three biographical central characters: Life as finding, life as emotional disorder and life as struggle. Institutional characteristics: Loss of near rhythms of life, losing control over the personal area, experience of social isolation and certain characteristics from nurses: staff detractions and the exercise of nursing actions which appears threats contribute to the phenomena. A disparity is shown between the types of dementia in terms of patterns of demonstrated behaviour. In addition gender differences could be shown. The recognition of the phenomena by means of the CMAI-scale elucidate that the phenomena appears for the first time or is stronger after the resettlement to a nursing home. These findings can improve nurses' understanding of the phenomena within long-term care.