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V.L. Phillips, DPhil, Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, Amanda E. Hunsaker, MPH, Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, (412)362-8440, aegner@sph.emory.edu, and Catherine Ivy, LCSW, Community Care Services Program Care Management Unit, Visiting Nurse Health System, 1244 Park Vista Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319.
SPRINT-D, Specialist Providers in Teams for Dementia Care, is an evidence-based intervention that provides a behavior management tool-kit for caregivers of people with dementia. The setting of the intervention is a Medicaid-waiver home and community based services program (HCBS) for nursing home eligible clients. A multidisciplinary team of researchers, social workers, nurses, physicians, and advocates collaborated to create the SPRINT-D care planning process. SPRINT-D has two components. First, social workers and nurses complete training that provides: 1) an overview of dementia-related problem behaviors (DRPBs) and signs of associated health issues; 2) how to use the SPRINT-D intervention tools for client-individualized care planning; and 3) how to engage family caregivers and aides in the process. The SPRINT-D process has four steps: assess, strategize, care plan, and monitor. The second component of the intervention integrates these steps into the regular workflow of social workers and nurses. Four tools were created to facilitate this process and provide on-going education through their use. The tools are: the Problem Behavior Inventory, HEART Tip Sheet, SPRINT-D Care Plan, and Behavior Checklist. Social workers partner with family caregivers, while nurses work with aides. The pairs conference to reinforce each care plan. The intervention was specifically designed to strengthen communication between care providers and to integrate aides formally into the care planning process. SPRINT-D can be adapted for use in other care settings. Researchers are monitoring several outcomes, including aide job satisfaction, competency, dementia knowledge, and job turnover and rate of client institutionalization through a randomized, controlled trial.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Dementia, Caregivers
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.