Buie, Louise Aurélien

Residents in long-term care settings with behavioral psychiatric symptoms in dementia (BPSD) are at increased risk of experiencing lower quality of life due to inconsistency in staff assignments. BPSD and inconsistent staff assignments affect residents' quality of life due to stress and anxiety experienced during activities of daily living (ADLs), interfering with caregiving and daily functioning. According to Brennan et al. (2017), “By minimizing the number of different staff who provide care during a resident’s stay, consistent staff assignment promotes more resident-centered care and is thought to result in improved resident functioning and quality of life” (p. 851). There is an urgency for healthcare providers, administrators, and caregivers to address this problem. The purpose of this program evaluation project was to assess the effect of consistent caregivers’ assignments on residents in long-term care facilities exhibiting behavioral psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD). This project was implemented at Brookdale Palm Beach Gardens and consisted of a convenience sample of residents from the memory care unit (N=21). Additionally, 19 caregivers were trained and assisted with the data collection using the Agitated Behavior in Dementia (ABID) scale for the nine-week duration of the intervention. Furthermore, an extensive review of medical records and medication administration records was completed to identify the frequency of psychotropic medications used to relieve BPSD. The descriptive statistics data were analyzed for nine- weeks using Intellectus statistics software program (2021). The descriptive statistics included means, standard deviation, and frequency distributions. The variables distribution is not considered to be asymmetrical about its means, and it is not markedly different than a normal distribution. The improvements that were seen throughout the program, though not statistically significant, should not be ignored; they can be promising for a similar future project.