Research Paper Essay

RESEARCH PROPOSAL TOPIC

“An exploration of lavender oil and agitated behaviour in dementia patients”.
A phenomenological study.
This research seeks to explore the lived experiences of reducing agitated behaviour in patients with dementia with the use of lavender oil through the perception of nurses. This research wants understand if there is any reduction of agitated behaviour in the application of lavender oil (aromatherapy) through the perception of the nurses. This would be explored by interviewing nurses about their perception of lavender oil reducing agitated behaviour.

Dementia patients suffer from many behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Among the many identified symptoms one of the BPSD is agitation (Manju T. Beier, 2007). In an attempt to reduce agitation sedatives such as neropleptics which have great adverse affects despite their limited efficacy (Raskin, 1985; Salzam’1987 cited in Smallwood J. et al., 2001)”. These side affects include sedation extrapyramidal signs, falls, detrimental impact on quality of life, and possible acceleration in cognitive decline (Manju T. Beier, 2007)”.

Broker (1997) suggested that ‘aromatherapy represented an alternative intervention strategy to neuroleptic medication’ (Cited in Smallwood J., Brown R., Coulter F., Irvine E., and Copland C., 2001). The international jornal of geriatric psychiaty stressed that “Alternate treatments with few side effects are desperately needed (Holmes C., Hopkins V., Hensford C., Maclaughlin V., Wilkinson D., and Rosenvinge H. 2002)”.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Mirea and Cunnings, (2000) noted that between 18-65% of people with dementia experience agitated behaviour (cited in Holmes C., et al, 2002). An experiment conducted by Holmes C., et al (2002) hypothesised; lavender oil in the form of an aroma stream (stream of air allows the diffusion of lavender oil) would have favourable effect on agitated behaviour in patients with severe dementia. The experiment...