GRIPed - Development and Pilot Testing of a Educational Concept for Aggressive Behavior Prevention and Aggression Management in Nursing Homes

Nursing homes are places where people live in close proximity to one another and depend on each other. This creates the potential for conflict, and occasionally for aggressive behaviors. Studies show that over 80% of caregivers experience aggressive behaviors from residents at some point during one year. At the same time, people with dementia are particularly susceptible to being affected by aggressive behaviors. Causes include limited communication skills, staff shortages, a lack of safe spaces and a care culture that sometimes treats the topic as taboo.

GRIPed builds on the findings of its predecessor project, GRIP, which systematically examined situations with an elevated risk of violence in nursing homes. The results showed that existing training programes did not reach all staff members, were not sufficiently tailored to practical learning needs and had little impact on bringing about lasting changes in team culture. This is where GRIPed comes in.

In collaboration with nursing homes in eastern Switzerland and the Network for Aggression Management in Health and Social Services (NAGS), the OST Dementia Competence Centre is developing a participatory educational concept grounded in everyday reality and geared towards achieving long-lasting change. The concept is aimed at caregivers at all levels of training, with a particular focus on support staff and leaders, whose attitudes and decisions play a key role in prevention.

Topics covered include empathy and a person-centred approach, recognising risky situations early on, verbal de-escalation and professionally handling challenging behaviours. The format relies on easily integratable learning units and combines in-person sessions with practical application and ongoing team reflection.

The concept's effectiveness is being evaluated as part of a pilot study in three nursing homes, with data collected at three measurement points using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Once the project is complete, the educational concept and all materials will be made available to the NAGS network free of charge.

GRIPed is part of a long-term research series by the Dementia Competence Centre - each project a step towards nursing homes where conflicts are recognised early, handled with skill, and met with a culture of care rather than fear.