Date of Award
Spring 2019
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department/Major
Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Randal Quevillon
Second Advisor
Dr. Jean Yockey
Third Advisor
Kathy Jorgenson
Keywords
Dementia, Agitation, Nonpharmacological, Interventions
Abstract
Many interventions exist to address agitation behaviors in patients with dementia. The main objectives of this paper are to review the efficacy of nonpharmacologic interventions, and to receive input from current caregivers in order to develop recommendations for future practice and research. First, this paper will explore the evidence behind individual nonpharmacologic interventions for agitation. Next, it will examine a theory that concerns the etiology of agitation and explore how it could be used to mold more effective interventions. Lastly, a qualitative interview will be conducted with caregivers to better understand how staff currently address agitation and to obtain their opinions on what tools they believe would be helpful for them to improve practice. Overall, this paper will review the efficacy of interventions for agitation in persons with dementia and propose new recommendations on how to address agitation by designing interventions that fulfill patients’ needs. The goal of this paper is to improve the care of patients with dementia by identifying evidence-based interventions and developing tools and recommendations to decrease agitation.
Recommended Citation
Pieschke, Cassandra, "Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Agitation in Persons with Dementia" (2019). Honors Thesis. 61.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/61