Standardizing Care for Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Quality of Life in Dementia (StaN)

Summary

Dementia is an increasingly common condition that can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life. Behavioural symptoms of dementia include aggression and agitation, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, and delusions. Out of these symptoms agitation and aggression are particularly distressing to patients and their caregivers. The usual treatment for these symptoms includes behavioral interventions and medications. We have developed a standardized approach to the treatment of these symptoms known as an integrated care pathway (ICP). An ICP is a structured way to help patients toward a better outcome. It has rules for diagnosis and intervention that happen over a specific timeline. It is different from usual care because the steps to diagnose and treat are pre-determined, is based on evidence and is applied the same way across all patients.