Best Practice Interventions for Unmet Needs in Dementia Presentation

Overview

Research indicates that more than 90 per cent of people who are living with dementia will experience responsive behaviours (or behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, BPSD) at some point during the illness. This can include a range of neuropsychiatric disturbances such as aggression, agitation, wandering, anxiety, depression and apathy.

For health and aged care staff, understanding and responding to these behaviours isn’t always easy, and determining the most effective and appropriate strategies to use when caring for people living with dementia can be challenging. Evidence-based practice interventions may not only lead to better quality of life for those in care, but also help to maintain a healthy workforce capable of providing optimal care for people living with dementia.

Join special guest, Dr Andrew Ford, Senior Lecturer, Geriatric Psychiatry, UWA, as he gives us an overview of these responsive behaviours (or BPSD) with a special focus on the assessment and management of depressive symptoms.

Objectives

• Learn how to identify and assess for changed behaviour
• Discover best practice non-pharmacological means of managing changed behaviour
• Understand the limited role medication plays in treating changed behaviour

Presenter

Dr. Andrew Ford

Senior Lecturer, Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Western Australia and Consultant Older Adult Psychiatrist, East Metropolitan Health Service of Perth.
Andrew’s research interests cover a wide area of healthy ageing and mental health outcomes in older adults, including studying risk factors for dementia, psychiatric sequelae of stroke and mood disorders in older adults. Andrew currently works in a community older adult service but has a wealth of experience working across different settings, including in-patients, consultation-liaison and memory clinics.