A Behavioral Health Toolkit That Can Support Researchers and Practitioners Alike

Abstract

It is currently estimated that 35.6 million people worldwide are living with dementia and this number is expected to double by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2012). Dementia is an insidious disease that over time results in cognitive and behavioral decline. The most common behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD) include agitation, anxiety, irritability, apathy, and depression (Cerejeira, Lagarto, & Mukaetova-Ladinska, 2012). Difficulties with managing BPSD is a major reason why informal caregivers are burdened and people with dementia are institutionalized (Yaffe et al., 2002). Every formal caregiver working in a setting with older adults who have dementia will be challenged by the BPSD they encounter. Reported prevalence rates of BPSD are high. One recent systematic review of nursing home residents found a median prevalence rate of behavioral symptoms being 78% (with a range of 38%-92%) among the 58% (median rate with a range of 12%-95%) of residents with dementia (D. Seitz, Purandare, & Conn, 2010). Pharmacological interventions are often prescribed for BPSD, although the efficacy is generally modest at best and there are risks of adverse effects (Maher et al., 2011; D. P. Seitz et al., 2013).