Implications for practice and research

• Supervised training in person-centred care and associated skill building are recommended for practice as effective tools to decrease agitation in care homes.

• The impact of long-term implementation of activity and sensory interventions needs to be assessed.

Context

Agitation is a set of inappropriate behaviours that are commonly manifested by persons with dementia, with adverse impact for the persons themselves and for their caregivers. Such behaviours often indicate unmet needs. Given the clinical significance of these behaviours and the large and growing body of scientific literature on this topic, it is important to review this literature to make it accessible to clinicians, administrators and policymakers.