Key clinical point: Effective communication by nursing home staff before and during interactions with residents with advanced dementia and persistent vocalizations may provide the residents with needed personal interaction and socialization. Continued attempts to involve residents in activities and social programs may improve dementia care.

Major finding: Persistent vocalizations by people with dementia may occur in the context of a “routine of staying in bedroom” and “staff providing care without communication.” These themes indicate a lack of therapeutic interactions. In addition, considerable variation exists in the incidence of persistent vocalizations among and within people with dementia, and there may be no discernible explanation for the variability.

Study details: A naturalistic qualitative observational study of nine older adults with dementia in four nursing homes.

Disclosures: The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Frank Morgan Jones and Tyson Funds. The researchers had no conflicts of interest.