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Agitation in people with severe dementia in care homes and hospitals: an ethnographic approach
Co-leads are Dr. Liz Sampson and Prof. Gerry Leavey
What is Stream 5?
We aim to enhance our understanding of agitation in people with dementia
who may be unwell. Symptoms are difficult for the person with dementia, for the
family, for other residents or patients and for the staff. We want to explore these issues in the context
of people with severe dementia or those with moderate dementia and other
other medical problems or acute physical illness. Some residents or patients may be nearing the
final phase of their lives.
To our knowledge, there has been no research which has studied agitation expressed by people with severe dementia and other medical problems and how this is experienced, understood and responded to by family and professional carers.
Stream 5 is taking place in hospitals and care homes and involves
researchers observing patients and residents with moderate to severe dementia and agitation. The research is an ethnographic study which aims to capture all the contextual factors that might affect someone's experiences in these environments.
How's it going?
We have completed our patient observations for this stream. Our findings are in the process of being written up.
