Clinician’s Field Guide to Good Practice (Behaviours & Psychological Symptoms of Dementia)

The Clinician’s Field Guide is a ‘travel size’ hands-on summary of the original and comprehensive document Behaviour Management: A Guide to Good Practice – Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD).*see footnote

This smaller guide for clinicians provides easy access to key messages, BPSD descriptions, potential causes and brief clinical scenarios to guide assessment and management strategies.

This resource was developed for professional carers such as a clinicians in residential aged care, community care and acute care settings who have a role in caring for persons with dementia, who present with behaviours and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

This resource is free. Hard copies of the Clinician’s Field Guide are available from the BPSD team pending availability. Please email Kim Burns, or you can download as a pdf (135 pages).

This abbreviation is used respectfully as a ‘short hand’ label for communication between professionals supporting persons with dementia. For more information about consumer preferences on terminology, please consult the Dementia Language Guidelines produced by Dementia Australia

 

 

Resources to support the management of behaviours and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD):

Clinician’s Field Guide to Good Practice (Behaviours & Psychological Symptoms of Dementia)

The Clinician’s Field Guide is a ‘travel size’ hands-on summary of the original and comprehensive document Behaviour Management: A Guide to Good Practice, Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). This smaller guide for clinicians provides easy access to key messages, BPSD descriptions, potential causes and brief clinical scenarios to guide assessment and management strategies.

A Guide for Family Carers

A Guide for Family Carers is a ‘travel size’ adapted summary of the original DBMAS Behaviour Management Guide to Good Practice. This Guide is for family carers supporting a person with dementia. It includes practical information about how to deal with behaviours and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD)*

Behaviour Management: A Guide to Good Practice (BPSD Guide)

The document Behaviour Management: A Guide to Good Practice, Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) is a comprehensive overview of evidence and practice-based management principles for BPSD*. This resource is designed for clinicians with a role in caring for people with dementia in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), community care and acute care settings. The BPSD Guide provides guidance for clinicians supporting family members and carers as well as RACF and community care staff caring for people with dementia who present with BPSD.

Posters for Remote Aboriginal Communities – Behaviours and Psychological Symptoms associated with Dementia

The BPSD Posters for Remote Aboriginal Communities are a set of posters based on the principles outlined in the document Behaviour Management – A Guide to Good Practice: Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). The posters were developed in collaboration with the Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service, Northern Territory (DBMAS NT) and other expert clinicians to support a series of BPSD videos developed by DBMAS NT.

Webinar: Symposium 1 – Changed Behaviours – Fri 18 June 2021

Presented by DCRC & DTA

Disinhibited behaviours are actions which seem tactless, rude or even offensive. They occur when a person’s words and/or actions don’t follow the generally understood social rules about what or where to say or do something.

Recorded Friday 18 June, 2021
Presented by Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration (DCRC) & Dementia Training Australia (DTA)
Running Time: 2:22

Dementia Outcomes Measurement Suite (DOMS)

The Dementia Outcomes Measurement Suite or DOMS is a compendium of validated tools for the assessment of various aspects of dementia by health care professionals. The DOMS project was originally commissioned under the Australian government’s National Dementia Initiative, and was designed to develop a standard suite of instruments that would be promulgated throughout Australia to encourage clinicians to ‘talk the same language’ by using the same instruments as much as possible.

Responsive Behaviour Quick Reference Cards

Dementia Training Australia's (DTA) Quick Reference Cards are designed to help address responsive behaviours. The cards provide an on-the-spot point of reference for health professionals and care staff working with people with dementia.

LGBTI Fact Sheets

There is a need for greater, targeted support for LGBTI people with dementia from all care contexts, requiring service providers to be better informed in the additional considerations relevant to the management of BPSD in this group.

DTA’s Responsive Behaviour App

Dementia Training Australia’s (DTA) Responsive Behaviours App is an on-the-spot reference point for health professionals and care staff working with people with dementia. Underpinned by a person-centred approach, this app will help you look up common responsive behaviours, find approaches to help you problem solve, address responsive behaviours and help prevent them. THE APP INCLUDES: […]

Webinar: Day 2 – Anxiety and Depression in Dementia Research Network (ADDResearch)

In November 2020 two DCRC online symposia took place for people interested in dementia research on improving care and reducing changed behaviours and psychological symptoms associated with dementia.

The aims of Day 2 of the symposia were to launch the new ‘Anxiety and Depression in Dementia Research Network (ADDResearch)’ and the focus was on research into anxiety and depression in dementia. This network is a collaboration between UNSW Sydney and the University of Queensland and is co-led by Drs Claire Burley and Nadeeka Dissanayaka.

Recorded Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Presented by Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration (DCRC) & University of Queensland
Running Time: 02:30:00

Webinar: Day 1 – Changed behaviours and psychological symptoms associated with dementia

In November 2020 two DCRC online symposia took place for people interested in dementia research on improving care and reducing changed behaviours and psychological symptoms associated with dementia.

The aims of Day 1 of the symposia were to discuss research activities involving changed behaviours and/or psychological symptoms associated with dementia and care for people living with dementia. This event forms part of the special interest group led by Dr Claire Burley

Recorded Wednesday, 4 November 2020
Presented by Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration (DCRC)
Running Time: 02:30:00

Webinar: Understanding Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and Antipsychotic Medications

How to understand, prevent, and remedy Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). This video is a webinar originally recorded for the HALT project as part of an accredited educational activity for GPs.

Recorded June 2016

Presenter: Professor Henry Brodaty

Running Time: 90 minutes

Behaviour and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Guide for Clinicians App (currently unavailable)

An app developed to provide guidance for clinicians in their role of assisting residential aged care facility staff, community care staff and family members caring for persons living with dementia, who present with behavioural and psychological symptoms. This App provides summary information relevant to the most commonly presenting behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD): […]

Care4Dementia App (currently unavailable)

This App was developed to provide information and support for carers in their role of caring for persons with behavioural changes that can occur in dementia. Information on what these behaviours look like, why they might be happening and what you can do to help is included for those most commonly reported by carers. Understanding why behavioural changes are occurring can help to manage the behaviour.

Authors: Kim Burns, Prof. Henry Brodaty AO, Dr Ranmalie Jayasinha

Partners: Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services (DBMAS)

Discover more about the research project