Exploring behaviour support plans in aged care: resident and informal carer perspectives
Tracks
Ballroom 2
Best practice
Dementia
Future Directions
Implementation
Residential
| Friday, November 15, 2024 |
| 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM |
Speaker
Dr Jacqueline Wesson
Senior Lecturer
University Of Sydney
Exploring behaviour support plans in aged care: resident and informal carer perspectives
Abstract
Background
From 2019, it has been mandated that people living in residential aged care homes (RACHs) who require restrictive practices to support changed behaviours must have a behaviour support plan (BSP). As many people with dementia experience behavioural changes, mandating BSPs influences the care of people with living dementia. There is no research reporting perspectives of people with living experience regarding behaviour support plans.
This qualitative study explores BSPs in RACHs from residents’ and informal carers’ perspectives and complements a larger study exploring BSPs by providing unique living experience perspectives.
Methods
Residents and/or their families from the seven participating RACHs were invited to participate in online focus groups of 2-5 participants each. These will allow participants to build on one another’s ideas or experiences and offer broader insights. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we aim to identify and make sense of participants’ shared meanings, perspectives and experiences of behaviour support.
Results
Data collection is underway, with three focus groups completed (n=6 residents) and more planned. Findings regarding perspectives on behaviour support for people living with dementia and informal carers (families) will be presented: themes about understanding, involvement and experience of behaviour support based on their lived experience will be reported, as well as results of deductive analyses where these experiences and perspectives are considered against BSP best practice principles and aged-care legislation.
Discussion
Our study will inform future directions to best practice behaviour support by focusing on the voice of people with living experience and informal carers.
From 2019, it has been mandated that people living in residential aged care homes (RACHs) who require restrictive practices to support changed behaviours must have a behaviour support plan (BSP). As many people with dementia experience behavioural changes, mandating BSPs influences the care of people with living dementia. There is no research reporting perspectives of people with living experience regarding behaviour support plans.
This qualitative study explores BSPs in RACHs from residents’ and informal carers’ perspectives and complements a larger study exploring BSPs by providing unique living experience perspectives.
Methods
Residents and/or their families from the seven participating RACHs were invited to participate in online focus groups of 2-5 participants each. These will allow participants to build on one another’s ideas or experiences and offer broader insights. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we aim to identify and make sense of participants’ shared meanings, perspectives and experiences of behaviour support.
Results
Data collection is underway, with three focus groups completed (n=6 residents) and more planned. Findings regarding perspectives on behaviour support for people living with dementia and informal carers (families) will be presented: themes about understanding, involvement and experience of behaviour support based on their lived experience will be reported, as well as results of deductive analyses where these experiences and perspectives are considered against BSP best practice principles and aged-care legislation.
Discussion
Our study will inform future directions to best practice behaviour support by focusing on the voice of people with living experience and informal carers.
Biography
Jacki is an occupational therapist, with expertise in functional cognition, performance-based IADL assessment in mild cognitive impairment and dementia, and non-pharmacological behaviour support for people living with dementia across the continuum of ability.
She has more than 20 years of clinical experience in health settings, including memory clinic and older people’s mental health, working in hospitals, community, and residential aged care, and in policy.
Jacki’s research career started with clinically-based investigations, collaboration on the iFOCIS fall prevention RCT which led to an NHMRC trial, and then a PhD investigating assessment of functional cognition. Her role as a dementia consultant has developed her interest into researching and strengthening residential aged care practices, especially behaviour support.
Jacki is a senior lecturer in occupational therapy and early career researcher at University of Sydney. Current funded projects include behaviour support for people living with dementia in residential care, evaluating functional cognition screening in older people living with subtle functional change, and as part of a small ECR team, developing medication management resources for people living with dementia and their carers.
Session Chair
Linda Rosenman
The University of Queensland
