Dementia: Education and Support of Caregivers for Patients with Dementia

Measure Specification

By providing education as well as resources to caregivers it is anticipated that caregiver will act on information received connecting to support networks and gain a greater understanding of dementia. As a result, caregiver burden will decrease, caregiver and patient Quality of Life will improve, and caregiver and patient physical health will improve.

“Important aspects of psychiatric management include educating patients and families about the illness, its treatment, and sources of additional care and support (e.g., support groups, respite care, nursing homes, and other long-term-care facilities) and advising patients and their families of the need for financial and legal planning due to the patient’s eventual incapacity (e.

g., power of attorney for medical and financial decisions, an up-to-date will, and the cost of long- term care) (Category I)… The family should be educated regarding basic principles of care, including: 1. recognizing declines in capacity and adjusting expectations appropriately, 2. bringing sudden declines in function and the emergence of new symptoms to professional attention, 3.

keeping requests and demands relatively simple, 4. deferring requests if the patient becomes overly upset or angered, 5. avoiding overly complex tasks that may lead to frustration, 6. not confronting patients about their deficits, 7. remaining calm, firm, and supportive and providing redirection if the patient becomes upset, 8. being consistent and avoiding unnecessary change, and 9.

providing frequent reminders, explanations, and orientation cues… In addition to providing families with information on support groups, there are a number of benefits of referral to the local chapter or national office of the Alzheimer’s Association (1-800-272-3900; http://www.alz.org), the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR) (1-800-438-4380; http://www.

nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/), and other support organizations.” (3) • “Short-term programs directed toward educating family caregivers about AD should be offered to improve caregiver satisfaction” (4). • “Intensive long-term education and support services (when available) should be offered to caregivers of patients with AD to delay time to nursing home placement” (4).

• “Staff of long-term care facilities should receive education about AD to reduce the use of unnecessary antipsychotics” (4) • "Support programs for caregivers and patients with dementia significantly decreased the odds of institutionalization and improved caregiver well-being." (5) • “A dementia diagnosis mandates an inquiry to the community for available public health care support programs (Good Practice Point).

Counselling and case/care management amongst caring family members have positive effects on burden and satisfaction for caregivers of people with dementia (Good Practice Point).” (6) • “Following a diagnosis of dementia, health and social care professionals should, unless the person with dementia clearly indicates to the contrary, provide, them and their family with written information about: 1.

The signs and symptoms of dementia 2. The course and prognosis of the condition 3. Treatments 4. Local care and support services 5. Support groups 6. Sources of financial and legal advice, and advocacy 7. Medico-legal issues, including driving 8. Local information sources, including libraries and voluntary organisations.” (7) • “Emphasize that professional support should have a wide focus that includes helping family and friends to support the person with dementia, rather than being limited to an exclusive and direct focus on the person with dementia.

This measure contains one strata defined by a single submission criteria. This measure produces a single performance rate. For the purposes of MIPS implementation, this patient-process measure is submitted a minimum of once per patient during the performance period. The most advantageous quality data code will be used if the measure is submitted more than once.