2025 Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 44-47
Objective: To investigate the variability in agitated behaviour due to different contexts in a patient with dementia.
Methods: We describe the case of an 80-year-old male with dementia who scored 0 on the Mini-Mental State Examination. AwareCare was used to assess his agitated behaviour across 14 response categories, including eyes and facial expressions. One occupational therapist observed his behaviour in a context where activity was not provided in the hospital ward (Phase A) and while he was drinking tea in a quiet room (Phase B) for 10 minutes. The Tau-U A vs B coefficient of the Tau-U test was used for analysis.
Results: Tea consumption was associated with a significant reduction in agitated behaviours, e.g. eye flickering, head movements, and shouting or moaning. There was a notable increase in positive behaviours, including more frequent smiling.
Conclusions: The level of agitated behaviour in an individual with severe dementia may vary depending on the context.
