by Jane A Malkoff MSN RN NP
When searching for quality dementia care in an assisted living or a skilled nursing facility, it pays (emotionally and financially) to be prepared. Families work very hard to seek out the best possible location for a loved one who for a variety of reasons can no longer be cared for at home.
However, you don’t know what you don’t know and most of the information used to make a selection comes only from the marketing representative working for the chosen location. I hope the following 3 Indicators of Quality Dementia Care will help you zero in on the first priorities to check when making the personal and serious decision of finding a dementia care facility for someone you care about.
- The dementia care location has a designated dementia expert managing the unit staff and programs. This manager has at least five years of experience in dementia care as a unit manager and can give you the details on the training each staff member has before working the unit.
- Observation of the staff in action on the unit reveal they are able to engage with each resident in their various levels of dementia in order to create an active, vibrant, clean, and socially engaging environment. It is not easy so this means the unit will be active with little time for the staff to mingle with each other or to be sitting down when it is not time for their lunch break. These quality locations have a great deal of direct work going on with residents throughout the day and night.
- The care is designed to manage dementia patients even if/when the dementia creates serious agitation. These units are not quick to send their residents out for a geriatric psychiatric hospital admission. With quality dementia care the location understands a person with dementia can become agitated and therefore the staff will operate under the understanding all dementia behaviors are triggered. With poor dementia care the location will talk more about the behavior and the problem it causes versus the triggers they may be able to help control. A quality location has a team approach in place with CNAs, nurses, social workers and the medical director to monitor and report early potential changes in dementia symptoms. With this approach the quality care locations can begin special management of the dementia related agitated behaviors before behaviors escalate. These good units rarely give a resident’s family a 30 day notice to find a new location.
As geriatric care advocates, Clarity Care Advocates, LLC works with many families dealing with dementia care issues at home or in a care facility. We are here to help you too should you need us. #317.979.3700