Assessing and managing agitation as a symptom of dementia

Pat Brown; Karen Harrison Dening

doi:10.7748/nop.2023.e1433

Assessing and managing agitation as a symptom of dementia

Nurs Older People. 2023 Mar 8. doi: 10.7748/nop.2023.e1433. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Pat Brown¹, Karen Harrison Dening²

Affiliations

¹ Dementia UK, London, England and PhD student, University College London, London, England.
² Dementia UK, London, England and honorary professor of dementia nursing, De Montfort University, Leicester, England.

PMID: 36883890
DOI: 10.7748/nop.2023.e1433

Abstract

Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) affect more than one third of people with dementia at some point during the course of their condition. Agitation is the third most common BPSD but is the least well understood in terms of identification and management. Furthermore, agitation as a symptom of dementia is often confused with agitation as a way of expressing an emotion or unmet need. Psychosocial interventions are recommended to support the person with dementia and their family carers to manage agitation as a symptom of dementia, as well as other BPSD, in a person-centred manner. Some psychosocial interventions for managing agitation as a symptom of dementia have shown benefits, but further investigation of the usefulness of a range of interventions is needed. This article discusses the assessment and management of agitation as a symptom of dementia and illustrates their application through a case study.

Keywords: aggression; carers; clinical; dementia; families; mental health; mental health therapies; neurology; patient behaviour; patients; professional; psychosocial interventions.