Understanding and Preventing Harmful Interactions Between Residents with Dementia

Professional care providers can learn ways to avoid one of the most challenging and costly problems to occur in care settings: Interactions between residents that lead to serious harm. Most of these episodes are preventable. Understanding what may provoke a person with dementia to respond in a physically or verbally harmful manner is the key to prevention and mitigation. This book provides the first care standard for the field, presenting practical tools and instruction on how to identify contributing factors, causes, unmet needs, and triggers that commonly lead to serious distress or injury, sometimes even death. Emphasizing compassionate, person-directed care practices, author Eilon Caspi describes strategies for preventing and de-escalating situations before, during, and after harmful resident-to-resident interactions. Dozens of real-life examples are included. Based on extensive research and proven behavioral analysis, this valuable resource: Identifies dozens of factors that contribute to harmful interactions Describes which factors can be modified and which cannot, and how to work with them either way Creates opportunities to improve resident and staff well-being and safety Delivers a wealth of useful intervention tools and strategies Provides access to downloadable assessment and planning tools with detailed instructions on how to use themThis critical resource will inform training programs and daily practice for direct care staff, interdisciplinary care teams, and long-term care administrators. The recommended approaches will help providers meet federal nursing home regulations, avoid unnecessary legal liabilities, and enjoy cost savings from reduced resident-to-resident incidents. A safer and more harmonious experience can be achieved for all who live or work in care homes.