Dementia is a significant quality of care challenge for our time, the magnitude of affects growing as our society ages. As there is presently no cure for dementia, care-giving focus currently gravitates around interventions that maintain, provide, and promote quality of life and well-being for those who live with dementia. People who live with moderate to severe levels of dementia will reside in supportive environments staffed with trained care providers.
Many people living with dementia are under-stimulated and socially isolated. While there has been an increase in activities and programming based on occupational therapy, recreational therapy, music therapy, physiotherapy, etc, such programs can cover only a portion of the day. Many people living with dementia will spend most of the day either in their rooms or wandering the hallways. A related problem is that people with dementia often have difficulty with social interactions and may become anxious or aggressive around people they do not recognize, or in situations they do not understand, resulting behavioural disturbances may lead to drug medication/ overmedication, physical restraints, and poor quality of life. Conversations with therapeutic recreationists and family members indicate that the number one and immediate concern for caregivers is managing reactive behaviors. The need to attend to behaviours in these environments is immediate, 24/7 and always takes priority. Complicating matters is a demographic shift towards an aging population that implies fewer younger people available to address the needs of an aging society.
We partner with academic institutions and research foundations to conduct formal and informal research assessments on an ongoing basis, to ensure we deliver evidence-based solutions that provide meaningful support and real value to entire care community.
Journeys to Engagement - ABBY's ability to mitigate reactive behaviors
This published, peer reviewed research evaluation was conducted by the University of Toronto over an eight-month period, in six memory-care homes across Ontario. A variety of outcomes, including resident aggression, agitation, depression, cognition, use of anti-psychotic medication, as well as staff strain and family/visitor satisfaction were measured.