Environmental approach to reducing agitation in older persons with dementia in a nursing home

Objective:This paper reports the effects on challenging (agitated) behaviours, such as aggression, noisiness and wandering, when persons with dementia were relocated to a special unit. Methods: The study was a simple interrupted time series quasi-experimental design. The dependent variable was agitated behaviour and the independent variables were residing in an old unit and in a Special Care Unit (SCU). Twenty-two persons with dementia from a nursing home were involved in this study. Subjects were assessed weekly for 1 month prior to the move to the SCU and weekly for 1 month at 3 and 6 months after the move. Data were entered into SPSS software and analysed. Results: The most significant results from the study were that the verbally agitated behaviour of the subjects was reduced and sustained throughout the 6 months of the study after their move into a SCU. Conclusions: This study has shown that environmental design does impact positively in the care of persons with dementia.