Standardized care plan: managing Alzheimer's patients at home

Family-provided care of members with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) is complicated by the presence of secondary behavioral symptoms, such as agitation, that lead to caregiver depression, burden, and breakdown. Caregiver education to manage secondary symptoms in ADRD can be simplified by using a theoretical framework of person-environment fit, providing a selection of interventions to modify the environment to reduce demand on the dwindling resources of the demented person. The Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold (PLST) model identifies six areas of stress for persons with ADRD fatigue, change of caregiver, environment or routine, demands to achieve beyond capability, multiple and competing stimuli, affective response to perceived losses, and physical stressors.