Providing quality care and aid to the vast majority of nursing home residents diagnosed with dementia can be challenging; it requires extraordinary care and special training to work with these individuals and their families. In an effort to ensure quality care for residents with dementia, CMS launched a campaign that calls on long-term care facilities to evaluate their existing dementia care approaches and work toward improving the quality of life and restoring good health by accurately treating and assessing pain, increasing resident and family satisfaction, decreasing staff turnover, reducing restraints, and minimizing the use of antipsychotic medications for the treatment of dementia-related behaviors. With the help of Caring for the Dementia Resident: Ensuring Regulatory-Compliant Care, long-term care facilities can accomplish the goals of CMS' initiative by delivering person-centered, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary care to residents with dementia and protecting those residents from being prescribed antipsychotic medications unless there is a valid, clinical indication and systematic evaluation process established. This useful resource will enable long-term care providers to: - Build unique dementia care programs that will address the various needs and concerns of residents diagnosed with dementia - Develop training that will meet the educational needs and requirements of staff members working in dementia care units and other units housing residents with Alzheimer's disease - Help nursing staff understand the unique, challenging care needs of residents with Alzheimer's and dementia at each stage of the disease's progression - Use person-centered care approaches to reconnect and build better relationships with residents and their families - Educate staff on how to perform hands-on techniques to engage residents with dementia, implement suitable strategies to appropriately manage dementia-related behaviors, and provide assistanc
About the Author:

Frosini Rubertino, RN, BSN, C-NE, CDONA/LTC, is a registered nurse with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Rubertino is the founder and executive director of TrainingInMotion.org, a long-term care training organization. She received her executive management certificate from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and her continuous process improvement training in the dynamic healthcare environment of Cleveland. She brings her experience in risk management, regulatory compliance, and clinical systems management to her role as a regulatory specialist and educator, conducting workshops and audits for multiple organizations across the country. She is also the author of Carmelina: Essential Nursing Systems for Long-Term Care.