The Medication Management Consultancy is a consultant-led service designed to support residential aged care organisations in establishing a sustainable framework for the quality use of antipsychotic and psychotropic medicines.
This consultancy focuses on ensuring these medicines are used only as a last resort, at the lowest effective dose, and for the shortest possible duration.
benchmarking to measure staff knowledge and antipsychotic medicine use before and after the program.
Resources to guide appropriate use of antipsychotic and psychotropic medicines.
Education and advice from a DTA consultant.
The consultancy follows a validated, evidence-based process:
Completes an audit to assess current medication practices.
Tracks progress to ensure lasting change.
Tailored education and training for staff.
Ongoing support and resources to encourage improvement.
Benefits:
May count towards professional development (CPD) points.
Help meet Australian Aged Care Quality Standards (Standards 3, 7, and 8).
Help improve mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) reporting statistics.
Free hard copy resources.
Continuing Professional Development
A program certificate will be issued for completing the e-Learning course and attending a virtual classroom session and five virtual meetings with a DTA consultant. The certificate will include hours of attendance and equivalent Continuing Professional Development (CPD points).
Medication Management Consultancy
The Medication Management Consultancy is a consultant-led service designed to support residential aged care organisations in establishing a sustainable framework for the quality use of antipsychotic and psychotropic medicines. This consultancy focuses on ensuring these medicines are used only as a last resort, at the lowest effective dose, and for the shortest possible duration.
How It Works
The consultancy follows a validated, evidence-based process:
Completes an audit to assess current medication practices.
Tracks progress to ensure lasting change.
Tailored education and training for staff.
Ongoing support and resources to encourage improvement.
Dementia Training Australia is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Dementia Training Program
Case Study – Medication Management Consultancy
Case Study: Baptistcare Dryandra
Embracing best practice and reducing the use of antipsychotic medications for responsive behaviours
Baptistcare’s Dryandra aged care facility in Kellerberrin, a regional community in Western Australia, successfully completed DTA’s first MMC in August 2018.
Following the MMC, there was a marked improvement in the alignment of care with current principles of best practice in management of antipsychotic medications.
Kate Fulford, a Pharmacist, worked alongside staff members at Dryandra throughout the consultancy and is very pleased with the outcome.
“It has been really exciting working with Baptistcare Dryandra, they are the first residential aged care facility to commence a medication management consultancy and the staff were very enthusiastic about improving their knowledge on the appropriate management of medications used to support people with dementia”, Kate said.
Dryandra staff members
“The consultancy aims to strengthen bonds between professions to utilise knowledge and skills from a wide range of people, and this is something the Dryandra staff have embraced and excelled in”.
” Throughout the consultancy process it has been inspiring to observe the nursing and care staff grow in their capacity to be an integral part of the monitoring process of antipsychotic therapy, ultimately strengthening the adherence to best practice guidelines which has no doubt improved the quality of care for their residents. “
Kate Fulford, Pharmacist
DTA offers the Medication Management Consultancy along with a range of other consultancies and educational services through Commissioned Training. Commissioned Training aims to bring about sustainable change within organisations to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia and the staff who care for them.
DTA’s Medication Management Consultancy
Our evidence-based service aims to embed knowledge and processes within an organisation to optimise and reduce the number of antipsychotic medications used to support people with responsive behaviours.
Our Medication Management Consultancy has seen as much as a 60% reduction in antipsychotic medications prescribed within residential aged care facilities across Australia.
Pain Management
Identifying and responding to pain in people living with dementia.
About the service
The Pain Management Consultancy Service assists with pain management in people living with dementia.
“The presence of dementia can affect a person’s ability to verbally communicate pain, seek help to relieve the pain, or remember the pain episode.”
Sustainable education framework
Holistic pain assessment
Optimise pain management
What’s included
Benchmarking
before and after implementation to measure staff knowledge of pain in people living with dementia.
Resources
to support identifying, assessing, treating and evaluating pain in people living with dementia.
Support
for staff through the education and change process, via a DTA consultant.
Our consultancy service helps staff better understand the causes of changed behaviour (or sometimes known as BPSD – Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia) and finds ways to avoid or reduce them.
About the Service
Small-group online training
Access to resources
Support for practice change
We aim to assist organisations create a capacity building education framework around reducing and addressing dementia-related changed behaviour.
This can help ensure staff are trained to provide care in a way that meets the spoken and unspoken needs of residents.
The Changed Behaviour consultancy can complement the services provided by Dementia Support Australia (DSA) through facilitating sustainable facility-wide changes in practice.
The 4 components of the Changed Behaviour Consultancy include:
Assessment of your organisation’s policies and staff’s dementia knowledge. Self assessment of person centered care policies and practices within your organisation.
Delivery of our Lead and Learn education program including presentations delivered by clinical topic experts
Dementia Training Australia is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Dementia Training Program
Designing aged care environments that support dignity, wellbeing and connection at every stage of life.
Home Matters: Rethinking Aged Care Design was an eight-part webinar series we ran with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. It explored how well-designed environments improved quality of life for older people and supported safe, effective aged care workplaces.
Grounded in the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines, the series brought together lived experience, research, design expertise and provider perspectives.
Each webinar is now available as a standalone recording, complemented by practical tools and real-world case studies. The eight-part webinar series provided practical strategies, case studies and expert insights on aged care design.
1. Living Well in Care: A Conversation for Older People
Audience: Older people, families and carers
This opening session supported older people and those close to them in navigating decisions about moving into residential aged care. It explored what prompted a move into care, unpacked the range of options available, and highlighted the key social, clinical and financial factors to consider when choosing a home, offering valuable insights to guide confident, informed decisions.
This session introduced the series and offered an insightful overview of the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines. It explored how cognitive change could influence behaviour and revealed how thoughtfully designed environments can reduce anxiety, agitation and distress, highlighting the powerful role design plays in supporting wellbeing.
This webinar unpacked Principle 1: Enable the Person, focusing on supporting health, wellbeing and a strong sense of identity. Presenters explored how thoughtfully designed environments could promote independence and dignity while balancing safety and risk, demonstrating how design can empower people to live with confidence and choice.
This session explored Principle 2: Cultivate a Home, focusing on creating warm, familiar environments that foster privacy, choice and a strong sense of belonging. It highlighted how thoughtful design can transform spaces into places people truly feel at home.
This webinar examined Principle 3: Access the Outdoors, showcasing the vital role of nature, fresh air and movement in supporting health and wellbeing. It inspired new ways to connect residents with the outdoors through purposeful, inclusive design.
This session focused on Principle 4: Connect with Community, exploring how environments can strengthen meaningful relationships with family, friends and the wider community. It demonstrated how design can nurture connection and reduce social isolation.
This webinar introduced a complementary resource to the Principles and Guidelines, centred on designing culturally safe aged care homes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It offered powerful insights into creating environments that respect culture, identity and connection to Country.
The final session explored opportunities to improve existing aged care environments and plan for new builds. Through real-world case studies, presenters demonstrated how older spaces could be thoughtfully transformed using staged, practical and cost-conscious design interventions.
We train design, property management and care professionals to collectively help create supportive environments for people living with dementia and other aged-related dispositions.
Our consultancy service can help you create a dementia-friendly environment.
Available nationwide
Learn how to use an existing building more effectively, plan a refurb, or build new
The Design Principles and Guidelines aim to improve quality of life for older people living in residential aged care homes. The tool will guide users through each of the four Design Principles and the Guidelines that sit beneath them.
The DTA Environment Activity Cards aim to spark conversations among staff, residents and visitors about residential aged care and retirement living buildings.
We are about to repaint our facility, what colours should we pick? What sort of furniture should we choose? How can we make our outside spaces more dementia friendly? What type of signage can help with wayfinding?
We offer a range of training options to enhance your dementia care. Whether you need an online course, trainer resource, face-to-face workshop, or in-depth consultancy, we have a level and format to suit your education needs.
Suitable for all allied health professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, music therapists, dieticians, speech pathologists, podiatrists, pharmacists, optometrists, and more.
Learn and be inspired by fellow allied health professionals who spoke at our #UnitedforDementiaCare Symposium.
UNITED: Allies in Care
Speaker: Vicki Barry, Care Partner, Young Onset Dementia Advocate, Network Orchestrator
After 12 years of being a single mum, marriage brought renewed hope and dreams of an easier life ahead. Life was good for a while and then it changed. Using the acronym UNITED to frame her presentation, Vicki will share her personal experiences supporting her partner Michael to live the best life possible with Alzheimer’s disease, working with a range of allied health professionals to achieve this.
Fall Prevention for Community-Dwelling Older People Living With Dementia: An Exercise and Home Hazard Reduction RCT
Speaker: Dr Morag Taylor Senior Lecturer, Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, UNSW, Conjoint Senior Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia, Falls, Balance and Injury Research Centre
The iFOCIS RCT aimed to determine the fall prevention efficacy of two allied health interventions: a home hazard reduction and home-based exercise program, in community-dwelling older people living with dementia. Three hundred and nine people participated in the 12-month trial with a multidisciplinary team leading the study. The primary outcome was rate of falls. Results and learnings will be presented.
Delivering a ‘Better Way To Care’ in Hospitals for People With Dementia
Speaker: Ellie Newman Dementia Lead and Head of Physiotherapy, Armadale Kalamunda Hospital, East Metropolitan Health Service, WA
This presentation will showcase various quality improvement initiatives led by allied health staff in Australia’s first Metropolitan Health Service to be recognised as working towards being dementia friendly.
Kicking Mealtime Goals Using a Multidisciplinary Approach: The Role of Allied Health in Maggie Beer’s Big Mission
Speaker: Elizabeth Oliver Occupational Therapist, Curtin University
Maggie Beer’s Big Mission is a social experiment designed to enhance the mealtime experience for older adults living in residential care. Join Occupational Therapist and Project Leader, Elizabeth Oliver, as she describes how changes to meals and dining experiences can have transformational effects and reciprocal benefits for residents, staff, and the culture of care. Elizabeth will demonstrate how an embedded model of allied health that encompasses a multi-tiered system of supports can foster culture change and enhance quality of care.
Supporting Transitions of Care: Dementia Friendly Ambulance Services
Speaker: Lindsay Bent ASM OStJ Churchill Fellow Clinical Lead, Communications Centres Specialist Operations and Coordination Ambulance Victoria
Australian ambulance services are acutely aware of the impact dementia has on an individual and their carers but has made little progress to directly address this issue. This presentation will provide an overview of learnings through a Winston Churchill Fellowship, how ambulance trusts in the UK have worked towards becoming more dementia friendly, the key drivers for change and the learnings for allied health professionals.
Allied Health Symposium – “Huddle Up” Panel Discussion
Previous speakers will come together to discuss the presentations from the morning and reaffirm the role of allied health in achieving safe and high-quality care for people living with dementia, including supporting successful transitions of care across the care continuum.
Beyond Age: Understanding Childhood Dementia and Its Unique Challenges
Speaker: Megan Maack, CEO of Childhood Dementia Initiative
While dementia is typically associated with aging, a growing understanding of childhood dementia is reshaping our approach to caring for impacted children. This talk will explore the unique challenges and care needs of children affected by dementia, offering allied health professionals’ crucial insights into this often-overlooked group of conditions. Learn how your expertise can make a vital difference in supporting these children and their families.
Stepping Up for the Team: Advocating for Communication and Connection in Dementia Care
Speaker: Associate Professor Jade Cartwright, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania
This presentation will empower allied health professionals, with a particular focus on speech pathology, to address the communication needs of people with dementia and their families, emphasising the importance of giving voice, fostering cohesive teamwork, and building connections.
Educational and Public Health Approaches to Dementia Risk Reduction
Speaker: Professor James Vickers, University of Tasmania and Director of the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre
There has been significant progress in knowledge about the potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, however, public understanding of dementia risk is limited. This presentation will review educational and public health approaches to reducing dementia risk in the community, highlighting areas that fit within the scope of practice of allied health practitioners.
Understanding and Reducing Dementia Risk: Translating Research into Allied Health Practice
Speaker: Professor Blossom Stephan, Chair in Dementia (Curtin University and Dementia Australia) and Director of the Dementia Centre of Excellence
Discover how epidemiological research findings have been translated into dementia risk assessment models for use in clinical practice, including evidence-based prevention strategies targeting the key modifiable risk factors for dementia. A practical framework for implementing risk reduction interventions across allied health practice, focusing on lifestyle, social, and health risk factors will also be presented.
Connecting People, Connecting Support. A Ten-Year Story of Transforming the Allied Health Professions’ Contribution to Supportin
Speaker: Professor Elaine Hunter, National Allied Health Professions Consultant, Alzheimer Scotland Visiting Professor, Edinburgh Napier University
Connecting People, Connecting Support (Alzheimer Scotland 2017, 2020, 2024) is an evidence based allied health professional (AHP) dementia policy in Scotland that outlines how AHPs can support people living with dementia and their families with 4 ambitions to transform practice and integral to Scotland’s Dementia Strategy. To integrate national policy to local practice for the benefit of people with dementia and their supporters, a co-ordinated implementation model was developed. The presentation will share context, a whole-system tailored-delivery model that integrates rehabilitation into the AHP offer, progress to date, key enablers for change, implementation gaps and our priorities for the next 24 months. The presentation will consider if an allied health professional policy in dementia could be transferable to meet the needs of people with lived experience in Australia.
Multicomponent Allied Health Interventions for People With Dementia
Speaker: Associate Professor Nathan D’Cunha, Dementia and Cognition Theme Lead, Centre for Ageing Research and Translation, University of Canberra
There is increasing evidence that multicomponent interventions help people with dementia live well after diagnosis and provide essential support to their care partners. One example in the ACT is the allied health led Sustainable Personalised Interventions for Cognitive, Care, and Engagement (SPICE) program based at the University of Canberra Hospital. SPICE is a combination of evidence-based interventions which includes group and individual components over ten weeks. This presentation will describe the program, its benefits, and challenges to implementation.
The Right to Rehabilitation for People Living With Dementia: Tackling Stigma and Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions
Speaker: Professor Michele Callisaya, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania and National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Monash University
The presentations will outline Dementia rehabilitation as a human right, the barriers in accessing rehabilitation and solutions co-designed in this project to improve access.
Rehabilitation and Reablement for People Living With Dementia: How Can We Do It In Practice?
Speaker: Dr Claire O’Connor, School of Psychology, UNSW; Neuroscience Research Australia; HammondCare
Allied health professionals and other stakeholders with an interest in rehabilitation and reablement in dementia have recently participated in a national survey process. Outcomes from this process will be presented, including discussion around the identified enablers and barriers to implementing these allied health interventions in practice, and the strategies developed to support effective implementation.
Online Courses
Discover courses relevant for allied health professionals below or browse all courses.
Raise awareness, change attitudes, and present evidence for the need and provision of rehabilitation as part of post diagnostic care for all people with dementia and their care partners
This course is designed to provide easily accessible dementia care education for Volunteers who are supporting people living with dementia or experiencing memory and thinking problems.
This online course is designed for first responders to gain a better understanding of dementia including common symptoms and how dementia affects the brain and behaviour.
Dementia Training Australia (DTA) is proud to present Dementia Dialogues with DTA; a podcast to help those in the dementia care space. Our episodes…
Type
Podcast/Audio
Medication Management Consultancy
A Consultancy Program Designed by Pharmacists
Consultant-led mentoring and education
Personalised Antipsychotic Prescribing Procedure and Sustainability Plan
Virtual classroom session on behaviour support planning
The Medication Management Consultancy service helps reduce unnecessary reliance on antipsychotic and psychotropic medicines, ensuring they’re used only as a last resort, at the lowest effective dose, and for the shortest time possible.
We specialise in building a tailored, capacity-building education that enhances staff knowledge and promotes sustainable, facility-wide changes. Partner with us to develop effective strategies for responsible medicine use and improve person-centred care for older people living with dementia.
We provide a variety of training options designed to minimise the use of antipsychotic and psychotropic medicines in people living with dementia. Whether you’re looking for an online course, resource tools, interactive workshops, or comprehensive consultancy, we offer a range of levels and formats to meet your educational needs.
Personalised Antipsychotic Prescribing Procedure and Sustainability Plan
Virtual classroom session on behaviour support planning
The Medication Management Consultancy service helps reduce unnecessary reliance on antipsychotic and psychotropic medicines, ensuring they’re used only as a last resort, at the lowest effective dose, and for the shortest time possible.
We specialise in building a tailored, capacity-building education that enhances staff knowledge and promotes sustainable, facility-wide changes. Partner with us to develop effective strategies for responsible medicine use and improve person-centred care for older people living with dementia.
Explore the role that benzodiazepines and other sedatives play in supporting a person living with dementia who may be experiencing a changed behaviour.
Learn how you can support the deprescribing process in older people living with dementia.
Tier
Enhanced Practice
Duration
1 hr
Delivery
100% online
Certificate
Certificate provided
Cost
Free
Behaviour Support Planning for Changed Behaviour: A Case Study
This workshop will build your capacity to develop behaviour support plans and minimise antipsychotic use for people living with dementia who experience changed behaviour.
This evidence-informed resource is designed to assist health professionals or support staff to minimise antipsychotic use for change behaviour and to ensure safe and appropriate usage if these medicines are prescribed, as a last resort and when all non-medicine approaches have failed.
This evidence-informed resource is designed to assist health professionals or support staff to minimise antipsychotic use for change behaviour and to ensure safe and appropriate usage if these medicines are prescribed, as a last resort and when all non-medicine approaches have failed.
We offer a range of training options that focus on the topic of changed behaviour and dementia. Whether you need an online course, trainer resource, face-to-face workshop or in-depth consultancy, we have a level and format to suit your education needs.
Look at some things you can do to understand why a person responds with behaviour change and what you can do to prevent these situations happening again in the future.
Learn about why behaviour changes happen, the impact of your communication on the person and more helpful communication strategies you can use to avoid escalation.
A half day workshop that focuses on changed behaviour in people living with dementia.
Tier
Enhanced Practice
Duration
3 hrs
Cost
Free
Changed Behaviour Podcast
Learn about changed behaviour on the go with DTA’s podcast: Dementia Dialogues. We have an episode dedicated to changed behaviour. We define what it is, how it presents, and how education can help minimise the possibility of resulting negative experiences for people living with dementia.
We aim to assist organisations create a capacity building education framework around reducing and addressing dementia-related changed behaviour. This can help ensure staff are trained to provide care in a way that meets the spoken and unspoken needs of residents.
The Changed Behaviour consultancy can complement the services provided by Dementia Support Australia (DSA) through facilitating sustainable facility-wide changes in practice.
The Quick Reference Cards are designed as an on-the-spot point of reference for health professionals and care staff working with people with dementia, to help address changed behaviour.
Type
Tool
Are you ready to create real and lasting change at your organisation?
DTA recognises and values the living experience expertise of people diagnosed with dementia and their carers or support partners.
The involvement of people living with dementia in program design, development, and delivery will make DTA training more relevant, engaging, and effective, and will deliver stronger capacity building outcomes.
Purpose
The purpose of consultation/co-design is to strengthen and improve DTA processes, programs, projects, and resources by including the perspective of living experience which supports DTA’s vision, mission, and values.
How does it work?
Consultation/engagement with people with living experience of dementia may take the form of:
Call for written submissions and surveys
Public meetings and workshops
Focus groups or individual interviews
Online consultations, including webinars
Request for feedback on written materials or other resources
Involvement in training design
Involvement in training delivery
Submit your Expression of Interest
Help us better understand what matters most to people living with dementia, their families, and carers so we can enable the greatest possible positive impact of our training and resources.
Before submitting your expression of interest, please make sure you have read the overview and FAQ.
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Eligibility
A range of people with living experience of dementia may be approached for consultation activities. People with living experience of dementia will be selected based on their:
Experience as people living with dementia or their care partners
Other relevant skills and expertise
Ability to represent the views of a cross section of the dementia care landscape
Availability, willingness, and capacity to contribute
People with living experience of dementia will usually be people living with a diagnosis of dementia and/or those who have experience supporting people living with dementia.
People with living experience of dementia will be engaged on a project-by-project basis.
DTA offers the Medication Management Consultancy along with a range of other consultancies and educational services through Commissioned Training. Commissioned Training aims to bring about sustainable change within organisations to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia and the staff who care for them.
