Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

Care of the elderly with dementia in both group home and hospital situations includes the very likely potential challenge of dealing with challenging behaviors as well as overall loss of engagement with others. The field of dementia care has historically struggled with both areas and often resorts to restrictive or aversive methods (e.g. PRN meds, restraints, isolation) in order to address these real and present needs. In this focused discussion, we introduce case studies using techniques from Applied Behavior Analysis that reduced challenging behaviors, increased functional communication and decreased length of stay. We also introduce a case using music to increase engagement as well as decrease Parkinson-type motor patterns. Both approaches seek to enhance quality of life, reduce hospital stays and decrease the use of restraints or other types of invasion techniques.