Tímarit hjúkrunarfræðinga - 2020, Page 79

ritrýnd grein • scientific paper
tímarit hjúkrunarfræðinga • 2. tbl. 96. árg. 2020 79
Background: e proportion of the very elderly is increasing in
Iceland, as elsewhere, requiring more and better care services for
this age group. erefore, the number of people with dementia is
also rising, but the disease presents various neurological symp-
toms. Behavioural symptoms is present in up to 90% of individuals
with dementia. is is stressfull for the induviduals and their fam-
ilies and decreases their well being and quality of life.
Aim: of the research was to investigate the frequency of behav-
ioural symptoms in Icelandic nursing homes and the association
with cognitive impairment, depression, pain, activities and the use
of restraints.
Method: e research is quantitative, retrospective, and descrip-
tive. Data for statistical analysis were 2596 interRAI-MDS 2.0 as-
sessments of nursing home residents in 2014, obtained from the
Directorate of Health in Iceland.
Results: e average age of residents was 84.4 years, 37.2% of
whom were men and 62.8% women. Indviduals suffering from a
mixed type of dementia had the highest average for behavioural
symptoms (0.34–1.15) and residents without dementia had the
lowest (0.07–0.31). e findings showed a positive correlation be-
tween behavioural symptoms and symptoms of depression (Sp rho
= 0.399; p < 0.0001), higher levels of pain (Sp rho = 0.099; p <
0.0001), less time in activities (Sp rho = 0.224; p < 0.0001) and
restaraint use (Sp rho = 0.145; p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: e findings present the most common behavioural
and neuropsychological symptoms in nursing home residents. In
order to improve the wellbeing of nursing home residents, factors
such as pain, depression, lack of activities and use of restraints
must be taken into account when assessing and treating behavioral
problems. Increased knowledge of these factors is important when
diagnosing and assessing the causes of behavioural symptoms. It
is important to ensure that nursing home staff has sufficient
knowledge on how to treat behavioural symptoms so that the most
effective and individually designed treatment can be provided.
Keywords: Behavioural symptoms, pain, depression, activity, re-
straints and interRAI-MDS.
Correspondent: solveig.gunnarsdottir@hsu.is
English Summary
Gunnarsdottir, S. H., and Hjaltadottir, I.
Behavioural symptoms in nursing homes in association with health, leisure activities and restraint use