By the year 2025, more than 61 million Americans will be 65 or older. Aggressive behavior in elderly patients with dementia often includes physical violence and yelling. These behaviors are difficult to manage and can lead to frustration and sometimes even injuries for healthcare workers and family members.
Aggressive behavior is among the most common causes of institutionalization.
However, new research shows estrogen therapy may reduce such aggressive behavior in older women and men who suffer from dementia. Dr. Helen H. Kyomen, assistant attending psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School's McLean Hospital and of the Harvard Medical School Division on Aging and Consolidated Department of Psychiatry, led a research team that conducted the study involving patients at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged in Boston. The study s results offer hope for a new safe and effective alternative treatment of such behavior in dementia patients. McLean Hospital maintains the largest research program of any private, U.S. psychiatric hospital.