Outcome of treatment of vocally disruptive behaviour in nursing home residents

Objective: To determine the outcome of treatments for vocally disruptive behaviour (VDB) in nursing homes provided by psychogeriatric and geriatric outreach services. Method: Nursing home residents referred to six psychogeriatric and geriatric outreach services for treatment of VDB were examined pre- treatment and followed-up for three months by a research nurse. All recommended treatments for VDB and the effects of implementation were recorded. Main outcome measures were the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, the Dementia Behaviour Disturbance Scale and measures of nurse satisfaction. Results: Three-month outcome data was available for 22 residents, of whom four had died. Of the remainder, six (33%) had objective improvement in VDB. The nursing home staff rated the outreach teams as at least ‘somewhat’ helpful in 61% of cases surviving three months and was particularly satisfied with medication advice. No specific treatment appeared to be more effective. Conclusions: Reduction in VDB obtained through interventions by psychogeriatric and geriatric outreach teams was modest, but nursing home staff found most of the teams to be helpful. Aged care outreach services should provide support to nursing home staff in the management of challenging behaviours.