A Multifaceted Approach to Managing Agitation in Assisted Living Residents with Dementia

Purpose: Dementia is a growing concern and will continue to increase. One symptom of dementia is agitation, which can be disruptive in an assisted living facility (ALF) and can impact quality of life for residents and caregivers/staff. Evidence shows that creating a conducive environment and equipping staff with skills can lead to better resident outcomes (Wong et al., 2024). This capstone project aims to address agitation by implementing physical and social environmental modifications in an (ALF). Design: This quasi-experimental mixed methods design will be conducted in an ALF to measure resident agitation pre and post intervention and staff confidence in managing these behaviors. The intervention includes sensory strategies and staff training sessions on agitation reduction/prevention strategies. Resident participants will be recruited through purposive sampling with a target enrollment of three to four. All staff in a memory care unit at the ALF will receive training and be asked to fill out a pre and post training survey with a target enrollment of 5-6. Methods: This project will seek Johnson & Wales University (JWU) IRB approval. A survey will be provided to staff pre and post training to measure effectiveness. A semi-structured qualitative interview will also be included to explore staff perceptions on training and resident agitation. Resident agitation will be measured using the Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory pre and post intervention. Consent will be obtained from staff as well as legal guardian/durable power of attorney of eligible residents. Data will be stored in a password protected computer, Excel and Atlas.ti. Potential Results/Limitations: It is hypothesized that physical and social modifications will reduce resident agitation and staff will gain confidence in their abilities to support residents. Limitations include small group of participants, researcher bias, unblinded study, and no control group Impact Statement – The aim of this project is to address agitation in ALF residents to improve quality of life and reduce caregiver burnout and increase staff confidence.