Violence in geriatric patients with dementia.

Although the elderly have been studied as victims of violent behavior, there has been little investigation of this population as perpetrators of violence. Using the method of retrospective chart review, this study examines the issue of violence by geriatric patients with dementia who need acute psychiatric hospitalization. Of 52 patients, 44 percent engaged in physical attacks and/or fear-inducing behavior during the two weeks prior to admission, and 29 percent engaged in similar behavior within the first 72 hours of hospitalization. Married patients and those who lived with family were overrepresented in the group of violent patients. The authors discuss possible explanations and implications of these findings.