Treatment for agitation in dementia patients: A behavior management approach.

This article presents a standardized, social-learning-based, behavioral approach to the treatment of agitation in patients with dementia. It describes a multisite, randomized, controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate this approach and illustrates the use of this approach in 4 cases from 3 different sites. 41 patients with a diagnosis of probable or possible Alzheimer's disease (AD) participated. Treatment consisted of 8 weekly and 3 biweekly sessions for a total of 11 sessions over 16 weeks. Throughout treatment, therapists helped caregivers identify and modify "target" behaviors; behaviors associated with agitation that were distressing to the caregiver and/or patient. Videotapes provided didactic information and practical examples of problem-solving, and supplemental take-home reading materials were provided. Results from the case studies of a 71-yr-old man and 3 women, aged 55, 71, and 79 yrs, indicate that the structured behavioral approach appears successful in helping caregivers modify the agitated behaviors of patients with AD. These cases also illustrate the diversity of problems and the creativity needed by therapists, even with a structured approach, and the importance of a committed, involved caregiver. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)