Q: Who is your book “Understanding and Preventing Harmful Interactions Between Residents with Dementia” meant for?
A: The primary audience is owners, administrators, managers, nurses, social workers and direct care staff in nursing homes and assisted living residences.
Q: Why tackle this subject?
A: Many care homes do not have the knowledge and specialized skills necessary to address this phenomenon. The book identifies the risk and protective factors for these incidents and is filled with insights from numerous studies and real-life stories, as well as dozens of prevention and de-escalation strategies. When owners and administrators of care homes recognize the seriousness of this phenomenon, they are more likely to dedicate adequate resources upfront to address it.
Q: What was surprising to you?
A: The thing that surprises and saddens me is the dangerous normalization of these incidents. My review of hundreds of fatal incidents over the past 15 years suggests that the circumstances surrounding these incidents are often strikingly similar: invasion of personal space, unwanted entries into bedrooms and bathrooms, conflicts between roommates, taking personal belongings and food items from each other. Left untracked, the phenomenon remains largely invisible.
Q: What interventions work?
A: A proactive, well-coordinated, multi-level strategy is essential. Key components include safe staff-to-resident ratios at all times, specialized dementia-specific educational programs, supportive guidance by managers, risk assessment, individualized care planning and robust engagement.
From the September 2023 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
