Improving Care for Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia
Host Institution: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
An integrated care pathway (ICP) is a new approach pioneered at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, designed to ensure that a person with dementia who needs help sees the right people in the right order, at the right place, and at the right time throughout their treatment journey.
With $50,000 in funding from CABHI, a project team from CAMH will adapt and implement an ICP to evaluate and treat people with Alzheimer’s disease who are experiencing neuropsychiatric symptoms. These symptoms include aggression and agitation, anxiety, depression, hallucinations and delusions, and can affect up to 80% of patients with the disease. Aggression and agitation pose the greatest burden for patients, families, caregivers and the healthcare system.
The ICP takes an evidence-based approach to identify a team of professionals who coordinate a personalized care plan throughout the person’s treatment journey. The project team is using their award to adapt and implement their ICP for people with Alzheimer’s disease in a long-term care community with a future goal to create better clinical outcomes, more appropriate use of treatments, better patient experience, improvements to the healthcare system and fewer visits to the emergency department.