Goal-directed care: caring for aggressive nursing home residents with dementia

1. Aggressive behavior in elders with dementia occurs most often during personal care. It is often a response to invasion of private space and may be prevented or reduced by interpersonal approaches that reflect a set of individualized goals for the resident. 2. Five resident goals for preventing or reducing aggressive behavior are to feel safe, to feel physically comfortable, to experience a sense of control, to experience optimal stress, and to experience pleasure. 3. These goals provide a framework for humane care that respects the personhood of the individual and minimizes the need for psychotropic medications and physical restraints.