Background: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are often reported in institutions for the elderly.~Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a staff education intervention to manage BPSD in older people with a diagnosis of dementia.~Methods: The trial was conducted in 16 nursing homes; 306 patients with a diagnosis of dementia and presenting BPSD were selected. Nursing homes were randomly allocated to an intervention group or a control group. An eight-week staff education and training programme was conducted in the nursing homes in the intervention group. The main outcome measures were the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) and an observation scale score. Assessments were done at baseline (W0), at the end of the 'intervention' period (W8) and 12 weeks after (W20).
Background: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are often reported in institutions for the elderly.~Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a staff education intervention to manage BPSD in older people with a diagnosis of dementia.