Senior housing leaders talk about dementia care challenges, alternatives, and options

Because the prevalence of dementia continues to extend in senior residing communities and expert nursing amenities throughout the nation, operators are trying to find new methods to boost resident well being outcomes, enhance employees retention and optimize operational efficiencies.

At a latest roundtable (hosted by McKnight’s Senior Dwelling and Curana Well being), trade leaders gathered to debate the obstacles they face in offering dementia care and the applications, applied sciences and care fashions being applied to unravel them.

Challenges in Offering Dementia Care

• Resident and Affected person Acuity is Growing

A typical theme of the evening was rising resident/affected person acuity and the way it’s impacting frontline employees. 

Excessive prices of care maintain households from shifting family members into communities and amenities sooner. Because of this, when seniors lastly transfer in, their dementia is extra superior.

“At that time, their care necessities have considerably progressed,” Transitional Care Administration’s Vice President of Remedy Providers Linda Riccio mentioned. 

Elysian Senior Houses’ President Lucy Boxrud agreed.

“In these superior instances, it could actually take time to develop the absolute best care plan and decide how co-existing medical circumstances impression one another,” she mentioned.

•  Staffing Stays a Complicated Ache Level

Coping with difficult dementia-related behaviors and sophisticated dynamics between residents and their family members is a key driver of employees turnover.

“Nationwide, we’re taking a look at a 14% lower in workforce since 2020, the most important of any healthcare sector,” LeadingAge Illinois’s and LeadingAge Iowa’s President and CEO Angela Schnepf mentioned. “Employees burnout is among the greatest challenges we face.”

As well as, contributors famous a scarcity of coaching applications particularly geared in direction of dementia care and the situation’s unpredictable development as main elements in caregiver burnout.  

“Dementia impacts everybody otherwise, and there’s really no roadmap for a way sufferers will progress or how their conduct will change,” Precept LTC’s Chief Course of Officer Nancy Koha mentioned.

• Behavioral Well being is a Main Concern

Many contributors agreed that in relation to a resident’s or affected person’s behavioral well being, referrals don’t all the time paint the total image.

“We’re not simply getting residents who solely have dementia; we’re usually receiving sufferers with comorbidities and important behavioral points,” Eagle Crest Life’s Director of Nursing Missy Pohlmann mentioned. 

In response to Villa Maria Well being and Rehab Middle’s Director of Nursing Lauren Snyder, although well-intentioned, new regulatory tips round antipsychotic use can introduce procedural hurdles in getting residents and sufferers acceptable drugs.

“Getting older service suppliers are at present dealing with better regulatory oversight than many different healthcare sectors,” LeadingAge Iowa’s Director of Advocacy and Engagement Samantha Heibel mentioned.

Options That Work

Though contributors agreed that these and different challenges make offering dementia care harder, in addition they shared that varied applications, fashions and assets are making a major distinction in resident/affected person conduct, well being outcomes, and employees resilience.

For instance, Precept LTC has adopted The Middle for Well being Design’s Getting older and Dementia Design Methods software, which helps communities incorporate design and wayfinding parts which are notably useful and soothing for people with dementia.

To assist forestall falls in its dementia affected person inhabitants, Elysian Senior Houses is piloting  Viconic Fall Protection flooring. Proven to considerably scale back fractures and hospital visits related to falls, Elysian is inspired by their pilot’s early outcomes. The group has additionally invested within the JubileeTV system, which permits households to work together with and monitor sufferers and residents by means of their tv. 

Moreover, PainChek, a digital software that helps caregivers precisely and persistently assess ache in dementia sufferers, was cited as an incredible useful resource for workers members and people they take care of.

One other promising answer highlighted in the course of the occasion was the Guiding an Improved Dementia Expertise (GUIDE) Mannequin: a Medicare various fee mannequin designed to assist people residing with dementia and their caregivers.

Providing many advantages for senior residing residents dealing with dementia and their family members, the GUIDE Mannequin is evaluating a brand new fee method for key supportive providers, together with:

• Complete, person-centered assessments and care plans
• Enhanced care coordination
• 24/7 entry to an interdisciplinary care staff member or assist line
• Potential respite care reimbursement to assist unpaid caregivers, reminiscent of relations (for people who qualify)
• Entry to in-depth training platforms and caregiver assist networks

Via the GUIDE Mannequin, individuals with dementia and their family members acquire the help and assist of a care navigator to assist them entry scientific and non-clinical providers, like meals and transportation.

In response to Curana Well being Senior Director of Inhabitants Well being Codi Murphy, the mannequin additionally permits medical teams to supply a good better stage of care and assist for these dealing with dementia. This helps them keep of their senior residing communities longer and keep away from progressing to needing the next stage of care as shortly. 

“Curana is wanting ahead to bringing the advantages of the GUIDE Mannequin to assisted residing and reminiscence care residents beginning in early July,” mentioned Amy Kaszak, Curana Well being Government Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “We’re assured that the Mannequin’s revolutionary approaches to care and assist could have a powerful impression on general well being outcomes and resident satisfaction.”

Different attendees shared Murphy’s and Kaszak’s pleasure for the mannequin.

“My hope is that the GUIDE Mannequin will assist us higher assist our residents, their family members, and our employees members,” Transitional Care Administration’s Chief Medical Officer Michelle Stuercke mentioned. 

Because the occasion concluded, one key takeaway was clear amongst all contributors: because the trade appears to be like forward, sustained collaboration amongst operators, care groups, value-based care companions and regulatory our bodies might be important in growing dementia care options for now and the longer term.