Ortega. Maria de los Angeles

Background: Suicide is a major health problem that is among the leading causes of deaths in the United States and can be prevented through community-based interventions. Suicide rates in older adults are increasing. Common suicidal risk factors include a decline in cognitive function, having other psychiatric comorbidities, and dementia. The risk for suicide increases for individuals within the first three months of receiving a dementia diagnosis and includes the first three months of another subgroup of individuals who were diagnosed with dementia before the age of 65.
Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project is to educate the staff at a memory and wellness center in Boca Raton on how to use a standardized suicide screening tool to improve their knowledge and perceived comfort in utilizing the tool and providing care to patients with dementia.

Caring for chronically ill patients, such as those suffering from dementia, can have a significant impact on the stress levels of healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals are often physically and mentally affected by the stress experienced in their jobs, which may result in compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue negatively affects healthcare providers, patients, and healthcare organizations. Current guidelines encourage education with self-care strategies to prevent or decrease the effects of compassion fatigue. This quality improvement project aimed to increase knowledge of compassion fatigue among the interprofessional staff at an adult daycare and improve clients' behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Within a six-week timeframe, a one-time educational intervention about compassion fatigue and mitigation strategies was implemented. Participants completed a preintervention ProQOL5 assessment and pre- and post-intervention surveys of knowledge about compassion fatigue. Although the sample was small and the time was short, analysis of the quantitative data showed significant improvement in knowledge about compassion fatigue post-intervention. The results of the ProQOL5 also demonstrated differences in compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among participants based on demographics. There were no documented changes in the BPSD of the clients who attended the adult daycare. It was recommended that new and current staff education about compassion fatigue be incorporated into the training programs. Future projects should include larger sample sizes, more extended periods of study time, and methods for tracking BPSD symptoms.