Use of Aromatherapy on Agitation Management of Patient with Dementia

In addition to cognitive symptoms, psychiatric and behavioral symptoms such as agitation occur in the moderate and severe stage of dementia. Agitation, the most common of these symptoms, is leaded to physical, social and economic losses in the caregiver. As a result of the burden of care, the caregiver can be angry and impatient. The results of caregiver burden increases the agitation behavior of the patient. These coercive symptoms require urgent handling and treatment of the disease. To avoid for serious and deadly side effects the use of antipsychotic drugs used in the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric and behavioral symptoms is suggested to limit in the treatment of dementia. The guides firstly suggest non-pharmacological applications for the treatment of dementia-related behavioral and psychiatric symptoms. Managing agitation behavior can help to resolve problems with the patient and caregiver, reduce the burden of care, hospitalization, and cost of illness. Aromatherapy which means treatment with fragrance, is a non-pharmacological application which used agitation management. The use of aromatherapy in agitation management in dementia patients contributes to the reduction of symptoms and caregiving burden. Increased knowledge in aromatherapy and development of evidence-based resources in the nursing literature will be affected the clinical preference of aromatherapy, its safe use, and its acceptability by the health care team. Aim of this review is to provide knowledge about use and importance of aromatherapy in dementia patients for agitation management