Making Sense of Behavioral Symptoms in Nursing Home Residents:

Alternatives to Antipsychotic Drug Use

Joel E. Streim, M.D.

Professor of Psychiatry

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Quality Insights Webinar 2.20.13

Disclosures

Dr. Streim is on the faculty of the Geriatric Education Center of Greater Philadelphia, which is funded by the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

The content of this presentation is solely the responsibility of the presenters and does not necessarily represent the official views or policies of HRSA or the DHHS.

Objectives

1. Explain challenging behaviors among nursing home residents by recognizing common causal or contributing factors.

2. Identify non-pharmacological interventions that are likely to produce desired results in modifying behavior.

3. Give examples of  the systemic barriers to implementing non-pharmacological interventions in nursing facilities

Overview

Three premises lead to the conclusion that:

1Antipsychotic drug treatment is usually not the most appropriate response to most resident behaviors; and

2Sensible, effective, non-pharmacological responses to behavior required a patient-centered approach to care.

Premise #1

Not all behavioral symptoms are problems

A behavior becomes a problem when it is associated with:

— Distress (subjective experience of the resident)

— Disability (observable functional impairment)

— Disruption (interference with delivery of care, or disturbance of the living environment)

— Danger (to self or others)

Premise #2

Most problematic behaviors among nursing home residents are not likely to respond to antipsychotic drugs

Most behaviors are not caused by psychotic illnesses. Only a small proportion of residents have conditions that can be appropriately treated with antipsychotic medication, such as:

• Schizophrenia

• Bipolar disorder

• Depression with psychosis

• Dementia with psychosis, in selected cases

Premise #3

Behavior problems are commonly triggered by an approach to care that fails to incorporate the resident’s own experience

Care that is based solely on facility routines and caregivers’perceptions often causes the resident to become anxious, fearful, irritable, or angry.

Resultant behaviors may include

— Restlessness

— Yelling or verbal hostility

— Rejection of care

— Physical combativeness

Case Example

A very confused 83-yr-old female resident, Mrs. M, sees staff put on coats and get ready to leave at change of shift (3pm).

Resident heads to the exit door.

A CNA runs after her, yelling “no, you can’t go out there.”

Resident pushes the CNA away. Note entered in chart says “resident tried to elope, and was physically aggressive toward staff.”

Attending physician is called and gives an order for haloperidol 2 mg every day.

Alternative Patient-centered Approach

When patient heads to exit door, CNA asks: “Can I help you?”

Resident says, “I have to go home to get a snack ready for my daughter. She’ll be home from school any minute.”

CNA says, “OK, I’ll help. Let’s go to the kitchen and get some cookies for your daughter. I bet she’ll like them. What’s her name?”

The resident turns away from the exit door, and follows the CNA to the kitchen area.

What do we need to learn as caregivers?

How to make sense of behavioral changes associated with dementia and other conditions

— 1. Understand and empathize with the resident’s experience

— 2. Recognize factors that cause or contribute to behavioral problems

Once understood, interventions and management strategies become apparent

Assessment informs approach to care

Making Sense of Resident Behavior

All behavior makes sense / has meaning

Applies to residents with and without dementia

Looking for reasons behind behaviors by “stepping into the resident’s world” enables us to identify person-centered solutions that

— Are responsive to resident needs

— Avoid using unnecessary medications

Person-centered Care: WHY?

Key to culture change in nursing homes

Resident and staff become part of a caregiver / care-recipient partnership

Increases residents’ perception that staff is “on their side”

— Residents become less likely to experience care as adversarial

— Staff becomes less likely to experience caregiving as a struggle

Person-centered Care: WHAT?

Focus on the resident’s experience

— Try to imagine being in their world

— Consider how things look from their perspective

Accept their reality

— Their subjective experience is real to them

— Doesn’t mean you actually adopt their point of view for yourself

Person-centered Care: HOW?

Look for meaning in verbal and non-verbal communication

Ask, “what do you want? “how can I help?”

Listen for clues to sources of distress or unmet needs

Avoid saying “no”, arguing or disagreeing

Offer to help in ways that reduce distress or meet needs, without compromising safety

Making Sense of Behaviors

A richer understanding of the resident’s experience also requires the identification of causal and contributing factors

Causal and Contributing Factors

Behavioral symptoms can be multiply determined by— Cognitive deficits

— Unmet needs (physical and psychological)

— Environmental / social irritants

— Medical illness / physical discomfort

— Psychiatric conditions

— Adverse drug effects

Cognitive Domains Impaired in Dementia

Memory loss (amnesia)

Decline in other cognitive functions

— Language (aphasia)

— Visual-spatial function

— Recognition (agnosia)

— Performing motor activities (apraxia)

— Initiating/executing sequential tasks (apathy, abulia, executive dysfunction)

How does memory impairment lead to behavioral problems?

Example

Patient can’t remember where his clothes are kept

Walks into hallway naked

How does language impairment (aphasia) lead to behavioral problems?

Example

Patient who can’t verbally communicate that pills are hard to swallow

Spits medication at caregiver

How does impaired visual recognition (agnosia) lead to behavioral problems?

Example

Patient can’t recognize a spoon as a utensil for eating

Throws the spoon on the floor

How does impairment in performance of motor tasks (apraxia) lead to behavioral problems?

Example

Patient cannot manipulate zippers or buttons to unzip or unbutton his pants

Wets his clothing

Common misattributions for behaviors

Caregiver may assume resident is:

Angry / Belligerent

Lazy / Dependent

Manipulative

Often, a behavior that is interpreted as “uncooperative” is actually better explained by cognitive disability

Emphasize Resident Strengths

Recognize

areas of impaired function

and

areas of preserved function

Help compensate for impairment

Support and celebrate residual abilities

— Focus on something unique that person feels good about

— Express appreciation and admiration

Remember: There’s no one-size-fits-all response to behaviors

Different residents have different situations and needs

Residents change over time; needs and behaviors change, too

Some responses work one day, not the next

Some responses work for one caregiver, but not another

Responses must be tailored to the individual and modified over time

Strategies for Communicating with Residents with Language Comprehension Deficits

Sit down; communicate at eye-level

Connect with smiles, humor

Reassure with simple words, comfort with touch

Use visual and gestural cues

Speak slowly, using short sentences, single words

— One idea, one direction at at time

— Be patient; give adequate time to process and respond

Avoid using negative tone or words

— Don’t scold or argue

When language comprehension is severely impaired, use other senses to communicate

— Smell, touch, vision, taste

What modifiable factors may contribute to behavioral changes

in nursing home residents (with or without dementia)?

Unmet needs that can lead to behavioral disturbances

Physical needs

— Nutrition, hydration, toileting, exercise, rest

Psychological needs

—Security, autonomy, affection, self-worth

All residents—whether cognitively intact or impaired—have common, basic needs

Environmental irritants that can lead to behavioral disturbances

Physical

— Noise

— Confusing visual stimuli

— Physical barriers

— Uncomfortable temperature

— Unfamiliar surroundings

Social

— Changes in routines

— Caregiver interactions

Medical conditions and physical discomfort that can lead to behavioral disturbances

Physical discomfort

— Pain

— Constipation

— Urinary urgency

— Shortness of breath

— Dizziness

— Fatigue

Medical condition

— Arthritis

— Dehydration

— Prostatic hypertrophy

— COPD

— Cerebrovascular disease

— CHF

Psychiatric conditions that can cause behavioral disturbances

Depression Delirium Psychosis

— delusions

— hallucinations

Anxiety Sleep disturbance

Adverse drug effects that can cause behavioral disturbances

Nuisance symptoms

Anticholinergic effects

Antihistaminic effects

Paradoxical excitation / disinhibition

Intoxication or withdrawal states

Akathisia (syndrome of motor restlessness)

Identification of any of these modifiable causes—unmet needs

environmental and social irritants

medical illness and physical discomfort

psychiatric conditions

adverse drug effects—

points the way to specific interventions

Institutional resources to promote non-pharmacological approaches

Consistent staff assignments

Assignment of staff across disciplines to supervise everyday leisure activities

— Group

— Individual / solitary

— Beyond structured recreation therapy

Space for exercise, outdoor activities

Barriers to Implementation of Non-pharmacological Approaches

Ingrained culture of medical and nursing care

Inadequate staff training

Staff turnover

Aversion to risk-taking

— Need to accept that risks are part of normal, everyday life

— Need to change attitudes of families, staff, administrators, regulators, surveyors, legal counsel

Resources for Training and Implementation

CMS campaign website:

http://www.nhqualitycampaign.org/star_index.aspx?controls=

dementiaCare

Hand-in-Hand (person-centered dementia care training materials):

http://www.cms-handinhandtoolkit.info/Index.aspx

Questions

&

Discussion