Recent studies of nursing home patients in relationship to nursing home aggression have revealed some correlations between patients suffering dementia and increasing situations of placing individuals in communities with behavioral issues. “Much (but not all) of inter-personal aggression in nursing homes stems from the fact that people, many of whom have dementia and other neurodegenerative illnesses, are being thrust into communal living environments for the first time in decades, if ever,” said one the researchers of the study on nursing home violence.
How to solve the problem is still in question. Researchers say drugs are not the answer. “At the same time, we must recognize that residents may be both victims and perpetrators of elder abuse and avoid blaming victims or resorting to interventions of convenience, such as the use of chemical sedation and physical restraints,” noted a researcher in aging. For more, read the story.
