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Exploring the effect of foot massage on agitated behaviours in older people with dementia: A pilot study
Author(s) -
Moyle Wendy,
Johnston Amy Nicole Burne,
O'Dwyer Siobhan Therese
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2010.00504.x
Subject(s) - massage , dementia , foot (prosody) , checklist , medicine , physical therapy , psychomotor agitation , older people , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychology , psychiatry , gerontology , alternative medicine , linguistics , philosophy , disease , pathology , cognitive psychology
Aim: To explore the effects of foot massage on agitated behaviours in older people with dementia living in long‐term care. Methods: Seventeen men and 5 women (mean age 84.7 years), with a diagnosis of dementia and a history of clinically significant agitation, received a 10‐minute foot massage each day for 14 days. The short form of the Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI‐SF) and the Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (RMBPC) were completed at baseline, post‐test and 2‐weeks follow up. Results: CMAI‐SF and RMBPC scores were significantly reduced at post‐test and remained significantly lower than baseline at follow up. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that limited short‐duration foot massage reduces agitation and related behavioural problems in people with dementia, and that these behaviour changes are maintained after the massage ceases. A randomised controlled trial is required to confirm these findings.