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2005 Grant - Curyto
Linking Behaviors and Interventions: Impact of a Residential Behavior Program
Kim J. Curyto, Ph.D.
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services,
Grand Rapids, Michigan
2005 New Investigator Research Grant
People with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias often exhibit behaviors that are considered disruptive. A current line of research suggests, however, that care providers might look at some of these behaviors differently. People with dementia have limited ability to take care of everyday needs and to communicate their needs. Disruptive behaviors, according to this thinking, may be attempts to make needs known. If a care provider could learn to "read" the meaning of certain behaviors, then needs may be met and certain behaviors may not be disruptive or may not escalate to other behavioral problems. This approach is called a need-driven, dementia-compromised behavior (NDB) model.
Kim Curyto, Ph.D., and colleagues propose to initiate a program that uses interventions based on a NDB model with people with dementia who have exhibited challenging behaviors. The investigators will evaluate participants' behaviors before admission to the program, during intervention and after the program is completed. The program will be run at two long-term care facilities. Its impact on both people with dementia and their formal and informal caregivers will be evaluated. The results could provide a framework for broader studies to be undertaken at multiple sites. If successful, the program could serve as a model for coping with behaviors and addressing the needs of individuals with dementia.