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Assessment of agitation in elderly patients with dementia: correlations between informant rating and direct observation
- Authors:
- COHEN-MANSFIELD Jiska, LIBIN Alexander
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(9), September 2004, pp.881-891.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Assessment of behaviour problems in elderly persons with dementia is important for understanding and managing those behaviors. The most common method for assessing agitation is the use of informant ratings; however, these ratings may be affected by staff bias, inaccurate or insufficient memory, or stress. An alternative method is direct observation, which is more objective, but very costly and necessitates time sampling, thereby limiting the period covered by the assessment. To date, little research attention has been given to the degree to which these two methods converge. n the present study, 175 elderly persons with dementia who manifested problem behaviors were recruited from 11 nursing home facilities in Maryland. The average age for the participants was 87 years; 78% were female. Two methods were employed for assessing agitation: the Agitated Behaviors Mapping Instrument (ABMI), which is based upon direct observations, and the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), which is a frequency rating scale completed by a formal caregiver. The ABMI and CMAI contain some identical items for tapping behaviour problems. Data analysis revealed significant Pearson correlations between identical items on the two assessment instruments, as well as significant correlations of summary measures based on these different instruments, demonstrating a strong convergence between informant ratings and direct observations. Informant ratings can achieve moderate agreement with direct observation when valid instruments and informants are used.
Longitudinal predictors of non-aggressive agitated behaviors in the elderly
- Author:
- COHEN-MANSFIELD Jiska
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14(10), October 1999, pp.831-844.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This American research examines longitudinal predictors of physical and verbally non-aggressive inappropriate behaviours in older people attending day centres. Results found that physically non-aggressive behaviours were predicted mainly by good health and cognitive impairment. Depression also emerged as a predictor of physically non-aggressive behaviours. Verbally non-aggressive behaviours were predicted by depression and pain. Understanding the aetiologies of non-aggressive problem behaviours can aid in developing appropriate care for this population.