Reduction of Antipsychotic Drug Usage - The Social Worker & Activity Professional's Role

In April 2012, CMS released the "Initiative to Improve Behavioral Health and Reduce the Use of Antipsychotic Medications in Nursing Homes Residents" program. Reducing the use of antipsychotics by 15% was the goal for nursing facilities in 2012, with individual facility rates of usage to be reported on Nursing Home Compare. In 2013, most, if not all, facilities achieved that goal. CMS increased the goals of reducing the use of antipsychotic medications in long-stay nursing home residents by 25% by the end of 2015, 30% by the end of 2016, and more increases in 2017. And from there.....COVID happened, and the success began to deteriorate. This area, once again, has become a concern for providers and a focus during surveys. Numerous facilities have responded to these initiatives by immediately discontinuing certain drugs and utilizing activities as a better alternative. In many cases, this has resulted in chaos; primarily because the nursing homes are relying on an already overloaded, understaffed, activity department (with no support or assistance from other departments). Activities can prove to be hugely successful in reducing the use of antipsychotics; however, utilizing this approach must involve the entire staff, not just the activity/recreation department. Both activity professionals and social workers play an integral role in the success of this initiative. Come to learn realistic approaches and techniques for the entire interdisciplinary team! You know this is a focused area for the surveyors! Don't you want your team prepared?
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Responding to Challenging Behavior

In many cases, facility staff has not been properly trained to deal with challenging behavior. As a result, staff continues to simply react to behavior, as opposed to preventing or minimizing the behavior. Effective support and treatment of residents or clients who exhibit challenging behavior depend on being able to understand both the "function" that the behavior serves for the individual and the causal factors. Often, behavior that might be seen as maladaptive, crisis-causing or catastrophic makes sense within the context of a particular person's life (i.e., gets them what they want and away from what they don't want). This session will teach assessment techniques that identify variables that predict and maintain problem behavior and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of behavioral support plans. Common sense, "down-to-earth" techniques for dealing with specific behavioral issues will be addressed in depth. Both federal and state surveys are now taking a closer look at behavior management programs in facilities. Will your programs and interventions stand up to that scrutiny?
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Ethical Dilemmas: Which Decision is the Correct Decision? (1.5 hours)

"Dilemma" - a choice between alternatives equally undesirable. Have you ever felt caught in this position? What happens when resident choices and decisions, family desires and "directives," professional staff "protocol" and even personal staff feelings collide and conflict? What happens when emotions and policies are confronted with very real, human situations? Do you make the "right" choice or decision? This session will provide an overview of ethics and values for long-term care professionals in the provision of aging services. It will provide professionals with a framework for making ethical decisions. Participants will be provided with actual resident scenarios/facility situations and divided into small groups to: evaluate and discuss the problematic area, determine the best course of action and determine the appropriate established ethic standard that will support their decision. We all have ethics - right?!