Guidance for Long-Term Care (LTC) Home Leaders

It’s important to have supportive care strategies in place before deprescribing and observe behaviour during reductions to identify and address unmet needs.7-10 Following appropriate deprescribing of antipsychotics, benefits for the person, family, and care providers can include:7 • Improved quality of life • Improved independence, mobility, alertness • Improved connection with family • Increased. [...] Nominate team members to: • Provide education for staff and families on the use of supportive care strategies and appropriate use of antipsychotics • Coordinate and oversee the day-to-day activities of the initiative • Evaluate and communicate information about the initiative • Lead the process to identify candidates for antipsychotic medication reduction • Update care plans to use supportive care. [...] Education can include:7 • Review of dementia (e.g., types, symptoms) • Risks of antipsychotic use without specific diagnosis, and the lack of evidence for their effectiveness to reduce negative personal expressions/behaviours • How to track behaviours over time to better identify and meet needs of a person living with dementia • Stories of how deprescribing antipsychotics has benefits for the pers. [...] • Provide updates on progress toward your improvement goals and successes, and adjust as needed • Adjust the measures to reflect new goals (to ensure you adapt the improvement over time) Negative Personal Expressions and Unmet Positive Changes with Supportive Care and Needs Appropriate Deprescribing • Confusion • Medical need • Safe & calm • Socialization • Loneliness • Resistance • Individualized. [...] The Centre for Effective Practice and the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement created this resource to inform appropriate use of antipsychotics and person centred approaches to care.