Care of the cognitively impaired elderly with behavioral symptoms in institutional settings is a difficult health care problem. The provision of individualized care, without the use of physical restraints or inappropriate psychoactive drug use, has been identified by the public as a major goal for this population.The literature has identified a need to focus on successful interventions that are empirically based, and do not concentrate exclusively on the control of symptoms but rather enhance the understanding of the meaning behind behavioral symptoms. A secondary analysis of data available from a restraint reduction clinIcal trial is proposed, to examine correlates of behavioral symptoms in a frail nursing home sample to promote understanding of behavioral symptoms. A multiple regression will be used to examine predictors of behavioral symptoms, among cognitive impairment, depression, physical functioning, psychoactive drug use, physical restraint, medical comorbidity, individualized care, controlling care, baseline behavioral symptoms, and demographic variables. A MANOVA will be used to examine any association between individualized care and improvement in behavioral symptoms over time in cognitively impaired elderly . This study is intended to extend the knowledge base related to correlates of behavior symptoms in cognitively impaired elderly, and provide beginning empirical support for individualized nursing care interventions based on the Johnson Behavioral System Model.
| Talerico, Karen Amann; Evans, Lois K; Strumpf, Neville E (2002) Mental health correlates of aggression in nursing home residents with dementia. Gerontologist 42:169-77 |
| Talerico, Karen Amann (2002) A critique of research measures used to assess inappropriate psychoactive drug use in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 50:374-7 |
