Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia worldwide affect increasing numbers of older adults worldwide. Approximately half of all individuals with dementia live in the community, with family or other caregivers, and the remaining half live in long-term care (LTC) homes. Many will develop behavioral or psychological changes such as aggression, depression, and problems with sleep. These symptoms are associated with poor outcomes, reduced quality of life, and caregiver stress. They can be treated with both non-medication and medication approaches. Non-medication strategies should be used first because medications, such as antipsychotics, can have serious side effects including increased risk of death. Still, over one third of residents in LTC homes in Canada are taking antipsychotics, and in many circumstances they may not be used appropriately. The aim of our project is to implement and study the effects of an education program for LTC healthcare workers to optimize the use of antipsychotics and non-medication strategies for the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in LTC. We will evaluate the percentage of individuals receiving an antipsychotic without an identified need in each LTC home before and after participating in the project along with other measures of BPSD. Our aim is to decrease the number of older adults in LTC who are receiving antipsychotic medications unnecessarily. This may improve the care of individuals with dementia by minimizing the use of these medications and their associated side effects, and by better equipping health professionals in LTC to assess and treat behavioural changes using safe and effective approaches.