Introduction:

Agitation is a neuropsychiatric symptom recurrent in elderly people with dementia. In the daily life of the home setting, this condition imposes on the family caregivers the challenge of finding appropriate management strategies for avoiding visits to the emergency room, hospitalizations, or even long-term institutionalization.

Objective:

To identify the nonpharmacological strategies used by family caregivers in the management of agitation in elderly people with dementia.

Methods:

Qualitative research carried out with 11 family caregivers of elderly people in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The data collection was carried out through interviews with semi-structured repertory of quotations. The content analysis technique was used to interpret the data.

Results:

The most commonly used strategies for agitation management were identified. These were conversation, listening, distraction, use of toys, music/singing, and reading the Bible for accessing spirituality or religiosity. It was verified that, in the face of the challenges imposed by dementia onto the care and the physical and emotional outwearing experienced, family caregivers strived to welcome and provide human support to the elderly relative, in addition to feeling satisfied to have the opportunity to give back the care received

Conclusions:

There is no intervention capable of responding effectively to all agitation-related behaviors. However, the experience and the relationship developed between family caregivers and the elderly guided the individual choice for the most effective nonpharmacological interventions, probably by providing some anticipation to the elderly’s responses.

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