How to Deal with Resident Behavior in a Nursing Home
When working in a nursing home, it doesn’t take long to encounter cases of aggressive behavior. Even when relatives are willing to take care of their loved ones, agitation may be overwhelming, and they choose to take them to a nursing home. Dementia is the most prevalent condition among most nursing home residents. And in most cases, results in behavioural symptoms such as aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, and delusions.
Many factors come in to play when interacting with nursing care residents. One is that they vary in terms of age, social-economic status, and existing health conditions. Understanding these factors and Learning how to deal with the behaviours can successfully influence how a healthcare worker treats and interacts with the residents.
The first important step to take is to discuss in detail with your patients as well as their families why they need to be treated in a nursing home. Let them understand the reason and period of their stay. Most patients get fearful and can feel lonely and abandoned by their families when they arrive at the nursing home. Create a friendly, calm environment and make them feel as comfortable as possible.
Understand the cause of the behavior.
As a nurse, you should be able to establish the root cause of your patient’s behavior. According to experts, every behavior is a form of communication. And as such, any uncontrollable behavior is an effort by the patient to communicate their needs. A patient with a resistant behavior is either confused or has lost control of what is happening around them. The actions may also be a response to pain, stress, or even depression. Most residents in nursing homes have different mental conditions, which is believed to reduce the ability to handle stress.
Identify the Triggers.
The behavior of a patient is likely to be triggered and intensified by specific actions or situations. For instance, patients with dementia are often agitated by various stimuli within their immediate environment. This includes loud noises, bright light, hunger, among others. As a nurse, it is crucial to identify these triggers and come up with proactive responses to avoid any reactions that may be endangering to them and other patients.
New caregivers are trained on how to identify these triggers and how to handle the patients when they get triggered. The use of physical and chemical restraints are highly discouraged except for extreme situations. Any recurring behavior in a patient calls for an in-depth medical Assessment to identify any existing condition and come up with appropriate treatment strategies.

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