The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-01-06, Page 1212 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Group pushes for funding to battle wave of dementia in nursing homes
Jonathan Sher
London Free Press
Facing a growing wave
of dementia so violent it's
led to 12 homicides in two
years, Ontario nursing
homes are pleading with
the province to pay for a
key tool now available to
fewer than one per cent of
them.
Just six of 626 long-term
care homes have been
given funding to bring in a
team of experts to find
ways to reduce violence so
prevalent it's led to warn-
ing from Ontario Provin-
cial Police, the chief coro-
ner's office, the homes
themselves and families
who fear their loved ones
in homes will be the next
victims.
"We're really concerned
(about violence)," said
Candace Chartier, chief
executive of the Ontario
Long Term Care Associa-
tion, whose board
includes representatives
from the heavy hitters in
the field such as Extendi-
care and Revera.
The association is lob-
bying the Ontario govern-
ment for $60 million over
three years so expert
teams can be placed in
more homes. Called
behavioural support
teams, they employ a
number of strategies that
the association says have
proven effective:
• Create stations to engage
residents to reduce rest-
lessness that can lead to
aggressive outbursts.
Examples include placing
a dresser with a mirror,
hats, bracelets and scarves
in a lounge mostly used by
women.
• Reduce stress for indi-
vidual residents through
careful observation and
interviews with family.
Nursing homes that host
teams reap benefits:
Within a year, one facility
reduced antipsychotic
medications by almost 50
per cent, and residents
showed much less agita-
tion, restlessness and con-
flict, the association says.
"The in-home (teams)
works best," Chartier said.
"That's why we advocate
for the in-house model."
There also are mobile
teams that visit many
homes but they are less
effective, she said.
The London region has
none of the in-home
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teams — the only six are
located in Mississauga,
Halton, Toronto, Cham-
plain and northwest
Ontario.
The special teams also
have been praised by the
associate minister of
Health and Long -Term
Care, Dipika Damerla,
when questioned about
violence in homes.
"My ministry launched
Behavioural Supports
Ontario to enhance health
care services for people
with challenging and
complex behaviours,
including dementia, wher-
ever they live," she wrote
recently, in response to
questions from The Free
Press about a report from
the chief coroner's office
that documents 12 homi-
cides the past two years in
long-term care homes.
Asked about the
request from the associa-
tion, a Health Ministry
spokesperson said that
the government is seek-
ing ways to better care
for those with dementia,
including the use of
behavioural support
teams.
"We would like to
thank the (association)
for their recommenda-
tions, which we are
reviewing carefully," a
ministry spokesperson
wrote in an email.
The association sur-
veyed members and
found a striking rise in
dementia and violence:
• More (62 per cent) now
have Alzheimer's disease
or other dementias, an
increase of six per cent
since 2010.
• Nearly half (46 per
cent) exhibit aggressive
behaviour related to
dementia or a mental
health condition while
more than one in five
(22.2 per cent) showed
severe aggressive
behaviour.
Not all aggression in
long-term care is related
to dementia, the associa-
tion says. In the last dec-
ade, as Ontario closed
residential mental health
facilities, some patients
have been moved to
long-term care homes.
The Ontario Long Term
Care Association repre-
sents 436 of the 626
homes in the province
and includes private,
not-for-profit, charitable
and municipal homes.
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