For the first time, those at the front lines of care have access to a single source for a comprehensive set of practical tools to effectively address distressing and harmful interactions between residents with dementia. This prevalent but under-recognized public health problem in long-term care homes results in serious consequences, including psychological harm, physical injuries, and even death. After examining the potential consequences and manifestations of these behavioral expressions, readers learn how to identify the contributing factors, causes, unmet needs, and triggering events that commonly lead to these episodes. With an emphasis on person-directed care practices, this book describes numerous psychosocial strategies to use for prevention and de-escalation prior to, during, and after episodes of harmful resident-to-resident incidents.This valuable resource will help inform training programs for direct care staff, interdisciplinary teams, and LTC administrators. In addition to cost savings from reduced resident-to-resident incidents, care providers will see significant improvements in resident and staff well-being.
Author Biography:
Eilon Caspi, Ph.D., is a gerontologist and dementia behavior specialist. He is the founder and director of Dementia Behavior Consulting LLC and a founding member, advisor, and board member of Elder Voice Family Advocates. He currently works as an assistant research professor at the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut. He serves as a board member of the Long Term Care Community Coalition (NYC). He worked his entire adult life in the aging field, starting as a nurse aide in 1994 in a nursing home where his grandfather lived. Both his grandmothers had dementia and lived in nursing homes. Over the years, he served in various roles, including social worker, consultant, applied researcher, educator, author, volunteer, and elder care advocate. Over the past 13 years, he developed and implemented a comprehensive program for the prevention of the prevalent and harmful phenomenon of resident-to-resident incidents in long-term care homes. He regularly presents on the phenomenon at local, state, national, and international professional and scientific forums, nursing homes, long-term care trade associations, the Alzheimer's Association (U.S. and Canada), the Veterans Administration, the Office of Ombudsman for long-term care, state survey agencies, and coroner offices. He co-directed the first documentary film entitled Fighting for Dignity on injurious and fatal resident-to-resident incidents in dementia (Terra Nova Films). He frequently gives interviews about this phenomenon with media organizations such as The Boston Globe, The Star Tribune, CBC News Canada, The Canadian Press, and Stuff New Zealand. In recent years, he dedicated his research and advocacy to the prevention of various forms of elder mistreatment such as neglect of healthcare, abuse, financial exploitation, and theft of opioid pain medications in assisted living residences and nursing homes. His passion is in bridging between academic/research and care practice/policy. In his free time, he enjoys carving wood and has recently completed hand carving brain hemispheres and educational signs such as SEE ME Not My Dementia, JUSTICE OF ELDERS, ELDERS' VOICE, and ELDERS' LIVES MATTER. Eilon lives in West Harford, CT with his wife, two daughters, and their border collie.
