January 29, 2014
CALGARY — Long term care residents are enjoying an enhanced quality of life, thanks to a new and innovative approach to better manage their anxiety and behavioral challenges by reducing the use of powerful and potentially harmful drugs.
Led by the Seniors Health Strategic Clinical Network and the Addiction and Mental Health Strategic Clinical Network, 11 long-term care sites across the province are helping to research, review and implement new guidelines around the appropriate use of antipsychotic medications.
“Some drugs prescribed for elderly persons to treat their behavioural challenges can have serious side effects and medical complications including increased risk of falls, strokes, and confusion, loss of independence and over-sedation,” says Dr. James Silvius, Provincial Medical Director, Seniors Health and co-chair of the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in Long Term Care Project Steering Committee within Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“We want to make sure these residents have the best quality of life as possible and therefore we are looking at different approaches to treat challenging behaviours associated with dementia, rather than using traditional drugs.”
Dr. Silvius says antipsychotic medications were originally created to help treat some mental health illnesses. “However, current research is showing there are other ways of managing the needs of long term care residents who have challenging behaviours associated with dementia without the adverse side effects and harm that these medications may cause.”
Music, exercise, and art are just a few ways to help manage anxiety and behaviour. For 93-year-old Evelyn Bye, it’s making all the difference in the world. “I’ve seen pronounced improvements,” says her husband, Marshall. “She’s come back to being part of the world.”
The project aims to help staff manage residents’ challenging behaviours by looking at alternative treatments and limit their use of antipsychotic medications. It also ensures residents, families or alternate decision makers, physicians, and staff work together to investigate and trial innovative approaches to help reduce agitation and anxiety.
Evelyn, who has been struggling with dementia for the past decade, was an ideal candidate for the project. “I have always had faith and confidence in the staff and felt that we had little to lose and lots to gain,” says Marshall.
Six months ago, Evelyn was deteriorating and could barely recognize her family or her husband of 60 years. Now, after her health care team reviewed her treatments, she is again enjoying her weekly music sessions, talking to staff and listening to her husband’s stories about their travels and adventures.
“Her eyes are sparkling again,” says Marshall.
Approximately 250 residents at the 11 sites are taking part in the project and preliminary data is positive, showing more than 35 per cent of those residents are no longer using an antipsychotic. The project trial at the 11 sites will run until the end of February 2014. The Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs) will review the findings and work towards implementing the new and innovative approaches in the other 164 long term care sites in the province, which account for approximately 14,500 long term care beds. By March 2015 it is hoped that all long term care sites across the province will be following the new guidelines.
The Seniors Health SCN and Addiction and Mental Health SCN are two of 10 such AHS networks using unique approaches to create big improvements within focused areas of health care. Albertans deserve a high-performing health system and SCNs are making that a reality by working with a wide group of partners – from patients and their families, to health care professionals, governments, researchers, academic partners, and community and not-for profit groups – to find solutions to complex health care issues.
To learn more about SCNs or to see how you can become part of reshaping health care, visit: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/scn.asp.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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