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Feasibility of the Tailored Activity Program for Hospitalized (TAP-H) Patients With Behavioral Symptoms
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Feasibility of the Tailored Activity Program for Hospitalized (TAP-H) Patients With Behavioral Symptoms

Laura N. Gitlin, Katherine A. Marx, Dana Alonzi, Tristen Kvedar, Jennifer Moody, Maranda Trahan and Kimberly Van Haitsma
The Gerontologist, v 57(3), pp 575-584
01 Jun 2017
PMID: 27076056
url
https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article-pdf/57/3/575/17695099/gnw052.pdfView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw052View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Geriatrics & Gerontology Gerontology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology
Purpose of the Study: To evaluate feasibility of implementing the Tailored Activity Program for Hospitals (TAP-H) to improve engagement in patients with dementia admitted for behavioral disturbances. Design and Methods: TAP-H involves up to 11 in-hospital sessions to develop activities tailored to patient interests and capabilities and train staff/families in their use. Interventionists (occupational therapists) recorded session lengths, patient engagement (N = 20), and staff (N = 4) readiness to use activities. Family interviews (N = 20) identified patient behaviors at admission and satisfaction with TAP-H 1 month postdischarge. A time series design with multiple behavioral observations (63 videotaped sessions) compared affective, verbal, and nonverbal behavioral responses in a standardized activity (baseline) to treatment sessions. Results: Average number of treatment sessions per patient was 8.00 (SD = 2.71, range 3-13). Average time spent per session was 38.18 min (SD = 10.01, range 19.09-57.50). Interventionists observed high patient engagement across treatment sessions. Observational data revealed increases in pleasure and positive gestures and decreases in anxiety/anger, negative verbalizations, and negative nonverbal behaviors from baseline to intervention sessions. Staff improved in readiness and families expressed high program satisfaction with 59.4% of activities used at home. Implications: TAP-H represents a unique collaborative care model that integrates facility-based staff in the behavioral treatment of patients with dementia and results in improved affect and reduced negative behaviors. TAP-H can be incorporated into routine hospital care and payment mechanisms. Future efforts should evaluate its effectiveness in reducing inappropriate pharmacologic use and strategies to enhance continued activity use by staff during hospitalization and families following discharge.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Gerontology
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