Free training to improve dementia care

Aged care stakeholders are encouraged to take up NPS MedicineWise’s free education program to improve dementia care.

Aged care stakeholders are encouraged to take up the national medicine educator’s free education program to support residential aged care nurses and pharmacists to improve dementia care.

NPS MedicineWise has developed the dementia education program to help participants learn more about person-centred care approaches and reconsider the use of psychotropic medications.

The program, which has been developed in partnership with the aged care sector, aims to provide knowledge and tools to help optimise care for people living with dementia and changed behaviours.

It is also aims to help residential aged care providers deliver safe effective care and to meet regulatory requirements.

The education program includes access to high quality online learning and educational resources and in-facility training on person-centred care, the role of psychotropic medicines and how to implement and sustain change.

It also provides ongoing support to help consolidate learnings throughout the program.

The training covers:

  • applying a person-centred approach in the management of changed behaviours to deliver improved health outcomes for people with dementia and changed behaviours
  • developing person-centred management plans that involve the multidisciplinary team and include non-pharmacological strategies to assist in improving behaviours
  • identification of the limited role of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in the short-term management of people with dementia and changed behaviours
  • reviewing and monitoring people who are taking antipsychotics and benzodiazepines medicines to assess the risk of harm and potential benefits of deprescribing
  • reviewing individual residential aged care facility systems for the management of people with dementia to identify areas for quality improvement in harm minimisation
  • practical on-the-job peer-to-peer teaching.

Nurses and pharmacists will earn continuing professional development hours for their participation in the program.

Find out more here.

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Tags: dementia, education and training, NPS Medicinewise, nurses, pharmacists, professional development, residential aged care,

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