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Symposium

Health Sciences

Caring for Patients in Acute Care Living With Dementia: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

Thursday, November 9, 2023
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET
Location: Room 112

There are many challenges to caring for older adults living with dementia when hospitalized including medication management, pain identification and management, behavioral symptoms associated with dementia, and sedentary behavior. To help staff, particularly the nurses providing care to these patients, we developed Function Focused Care for Acute Care using the Evidence Integration Triangle (FFC-AC-EIT) to best address increasing physical activity, pain assessment and management, appropriate use of medications and management of behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. FFC-AC-EIT includes the implementation of four steps: (1) Environment and policy assessments; (2) Education of staff; (3) Establishing patient goals; and (4) Mentoring and motivating of staff, patients, and families. The testing of FFC-AC-EIT is ongoing as a cluster randomized controlled trial that to date has included 365 patients from 10 hospitals randomized to FFC-AC-EIT or FFC-AC-Education only. Eligibility of patients is based on being 55 years of age and older, admitted for a medical reason excluding COVID-19, and demonstrating evidence of dementia. This symposium will address the care and changes that occur during the hospital stay for these participants. Specifically, the following areas will be addressed: psychotropic medication use, participation in function focused care, the impact of physical activity on behavioral symptoms associated with dementia, and treatment of pain. The findings can be used to help guide researchers and clinicians in optimal ways to address the common challenges to care of hospitalized patients living with dementia. Presenters will provide information about future work needed to improve care across each of these areas.

Learning Objectives:

  • After attending this session participants will be able to describe the FFC-AC-EIT intervention.
  • After attending this session participants will be able to describe the relationship between physical activity and psychological and behavioral symptoms associated with dementia in hospitalized older adults living with dementia.
  • After attending this session participants will be able to describe the pain noted and use of pharmacologic and non pharmacologic treatment of pain among hospitalized older adults living with dementia.

Presentations:

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET
    Psychotropic Medication Use and Changes During the Hospital Stay

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Elizabeth Galik, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, FGSA – University of Maryland School of Nursing

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET
    Physical Activity and Impact on Psychological and Behavior Symptoms Associated With Dementia

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Brittany F. Drazich, PhD, MSN, RN – University of Maryland Baltimore

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET
    Treatment of Pain During the Acute Care Stay for Patients Living With Dementia

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Marie P. Boltz, PhD, FGSA, FAAN (she/her/hers) – Pennsylvania State University

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET
    Factors Associated With Participation in Function-Focused Care Among Hospitalized Patients Living With Dementia

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ashley Kuzmik, DrPH, MPH – Pennsylvania State University