Dementia Care
| DEMENTIA CARE | ||||
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| Practice recommendations for assisted living residences and nursing homes | ||||
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EFFECTIVE DEMENTIA CARE • “Person-centered” • Comprehensive assessment of a resident's abilities/needs • Care planning and provision • Strategies for addressing behavioral and communication changes • Appropriate staffing patterns • Environment that fosters community |
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| Routine Assessment | Approach | |||
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Food and Fluid Consumption To maintain proper nutrition and hydration, avoid health complications, and promote mealtimes as enjoyable activities. |
• Difficulty chewing and swallowing, or changes in swallowing abililty • Poor utensil use • Refusing substitutions • Low attentiveness to a meal or wandering away during the meal • More than 25 percent of food uneaten during a meal |
• Evaluate cause of swallowing difficulties • Engage residents in the mealtime experience and stimulate appetite • Encourage residents to function independently whenever possible • Provide a pleasant, familiar dining environment free of distractions • Prepare food to maximize acceptance |
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Pain Management To ease distress associated with pain, improve quality of life, prevent behavioral symptoms, and unnecessary use of psychotropic drugs. |
• Site of pain • Type of pain • Effect of pain on the person • Pain triggers • Acute or chronic pain • Positive and negative consequences of treatment |
• PREVENTION of pain • Non-pharmacological approach (i.e. relaxation, physical activities, superficial heating) • Analgesics or narcotic pain medications (Consider side effects, including those affecting dementia and cognitive functioning) • Appropriate referrals |
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Social Engagement and Meaningful Activities To offer opportunities for providing a context with personal meaning, a sense of community, choices and fun. |
• Capacity for physical movement • Capacity for mental stimulation • Interest in social interaction • Desire and ability to participate in religious and spiritual practices • Cultural values and appreciation • Various specific recreational interests and preferences |
• Design interactions to do with—not to or for—the resident • Make available activity materials • Encourage residents to use their remaining skills in daily activities • Provide chances for involvement in the community • Acknowledge that some residents with dementia experience increased confusion, agitation and movement in the early evening • Consider the resident's level of functioning, group dynamics, and overall mood |
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| NOTES | ||||
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Adapted from: Alzheimer's Association. Dementia care practice recommendations for assisted living residences and nursing homes. Chicago (IL): Alzheimer's Association; 2005. 15p. |
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