Music therapy can help social workers deal with negative behaviors and symptoms of dementia in older adults without drugs or physical restraints, thereby improving the quality of care. This study tested the effectiveness of music therapy activities for improving agitated behavior in older adults with dementia living in long-term care institutions.…

Used modified differential reinforcement of other behavior schedule with exclusionary time-out procedure to treat 69-year-old aggressive male patient. Results showed clear demonstration of behavioral control and clinically significant treatment effects during experimental periods. (Author/NB)

Used a behavioral intervention of goal-setting with feedback and contingent reinforcement to increase stationary bike riding in eight male nursing home residents with multiple major medical and psychiatric disorders. A consistent increase in riding resulted among all participants. Findings support the effectivenes of behavioral strategies in…

Results indicate: (1) medium overlearning enhances skill transfer; (2) high overlearning decreases skill acquisition and transfer; and (3) precounseling structuring has no effect on acquisition or transfer. The method evaluated is effective in teaching social skills to institutionalized elderly. (Author)

Behavior modification and behavior therapy techniques with institutionalized and community elderly are powerful approaches which effect changes in behavior quickly and dramatically, and are particularly useful because they involve total staff or family members in their implementation. Unlike psychotropic medications, behavioral approaches do not…

Cognitively impaired elderly are often cared for by their families, but little clinical intervention has been aimed at helping families to cope with behavior problems. Families may benefit from learning behavior management strategies successfully utilized with institutionalized elderly. Several case examples are discussed. (Author/RC)

Older Americans are suffering from both physical and social losses as they age. These losses are sometimes accompanied by the elderly person's entrance into a long-term care facility. Some researchers have suggested that such facilities fail to maintain the residents' independent behavior. Others contend that behavior is plastic and can be…

Examined the effects of a training program for geriatric staff designed to reduce the functional dependency of targeted health-related facility residents. Results indicate dependency was reduced and independence increased by training staff in the principles of behavior analysis focusing on cognitive and attitudinal restructuring. (Author/RC)

In an effort to reduce social isolation, procedures which included modeling, behavioral rehearsal, feedback, and reinforcement were used to train four elderly nursing home residents in four conversational areas: expressing common courtesies; making positive self-disclosures; asking questions; and making interjections and acknowledgments. Results…