Verbal Encouragement of Demented Elderly and Environmental Noise ; Verification of the Effects of a Verbal Encouragement Plan and Development of a Policy for Adjusting Environmental Noise

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The objective of this study was to verify the effects of a "verbal encouragement promotion sheet" focusing on non-verbal communication skills of demented elderly patients and to determine the noise and music environments at elderly care facilities and develop an environmental noise adjustment policy for their improvement.The subjects of the study consisted of 6 demented elderly patients. The care of four subjects(agitation/excitation: 2 subjects, declined volition: 2 subjects)was intervened for 3 months based on a plan developed in consideration of personality, preferences and life history, and although communication was promoted and composure was increased in two of the subjects presenting with agitation/excitation(p<0.05), there were no other changes observed. With respect to facility noise levels, elderly welfare facilities providing nursing care are somewhat noisier than group homes, consisting mainly of noise generated during the course of daily life, loud voices, sounds made by the soles of tennis shoes sliding across the floor, wheelchair sounds and television, and elderly subjects became agitated when sudden sounds of 70 dB or more occurred frequently. With respect to noise levels in recuperative environments, subjects expressed a preference for listening to music regardless of the severity of dementia, and this sound served as an impetus for conversation. Although fluctuations in systolic blood pressure and heart rate when listening to music were within their physiological ranges, there were considerable individual differences. An environmental noise adjustment policy was developed on the basis of these findings.