Assessment and non-pharmacological management among adults with a dementia diagnosis in a residential care setting: a best practice implementation project

Abstract

Executive summary BackgroundThis evidence implementation project reports on a project conducted in the 17 bed special care unit of Symes Thorpe Residential Facility in Queensland, that focused on improving assessment and management of elderly residents diagnosed with dementia. The motivation for the project, and its value, should be understood in the context of a lack of a validated tool or standardized documentation being used to assess behaviors of residents diagnosed with dementia, as well as little targeted education being provided to staff on behaviour management strategies. ObjectivesTo promote evidence based assessment and non-pharmacological management of challenging behavior in elderly adults living with dementia in a residential setting in ResultsThe follow up audits demonstrated 100% compliance in use of the Cohen Mansfield AgitationInventory, and 100% staff attendance at education sessions. The audit also showed significant increase and improvement in quality of related resident care documentation, for example documenting outcomes of use of non-pharmacological therapy such as music, exercise, pets etc. ConclusionsThe findings show that a comprehensive education program can make an effective contribution to the understanding of challenging behaviors in dementia residents, and the associated documentation required to monitor them effectively.