Many assisted living communities have adopted Alzheimer's programming that helps manage residents' behaviors without using antipsychotic medications. However, it takes time to develop a successful treatment program, and you'll probably have as many failures as successes at the outset. In addition, not relying on these drugs means residents may become agitated more easily. This can be very stressful and distressing for your nursing staff to deal with.
But you can set yourself up for a lot more wins if you start off on the right foot. Here are 12 best practices to follow when developing your own non-drug treatment program for residents with Alzheimer's disease.
Best Practices for Non-drug Alzheimer's Programs
- Recognize that the person isn't just "acting mean” but is having increasing symptoms of a debilitating disease.
- Identify the root cause of the behavior and how the symptom may relate to the experience of the person with Alzheimer's.
- Change the environment to resolve challenges and obstacles to comfort, security, and ease of mind. But do this thoughtfully, because change itself can be very upsetting for people with Alzheimer's.
- Monitor personal comfort. Assess for pain, hunger, thirst, constipation, full bladder, fatigue, infection, and skin irritation. Maintain a comfortable room temperature.
- Avoid being confrontational or arguing about facts. If a resident expresses a wish to go visit a parent who died years ago, don’t point out that the parent is dead.
- Redirect the person’s attention. Try to remain flexible, patient, and supportive by responding to the emotion, not the behavior.
- Create a calm environment. Avoid noise, glare, insecure spaces, and too much background distraction—including televisions and radios. Overstimulation can be terribly upsetting and lead to emotional outbursts.
- Allow adequate rest periods between stimulating events.
- Provide a security object (i.e., baby doll, blanket, etc.).
- Acknowledge requests and respond to them in a timely manner.
- Look for reasons behind each unexpected behavior. Consult a physician to identify any causes related to medications or illness.
- Explore various solutions that may include the introduction of medications if necessary.
Regaining Control Over Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's can make everyone feel out of control—residents with Alzheimer's, their families, and even professional caregivers. But following these best practices will help reduce that feeling, increase stability, and help prevent adverse incidents that are the result of unpredictable resident behavior.
Want to find out more about preventing adverse events in residents with Alzheimer's? Check out our QA Reader Overview sheet.
