“Tragedies at 2 Arizona dementia care units leave families shattered, outraged”. “77-year-old patient beaten and choked to death at assisted living facility in Palm Coast”. Sadly, these are only 2 of many news stories on the internet, 2 too many! The common thread to most of these stories is the memory care, secured unit piece. Family members said the centers were beautiful, well kept, and provided a safe environment in a secured memory care unit.  So, what happened?

Dementia. Yes, residents living with dementia aren’t the same people they were prior to developing this horrible disease. Many residents living with dementia become agitated with little provocation. They don’t have “boundaries” if they see something they want they take it. Depending on the progression of their disease state, their agitation can lead to resident-to-resident altercations. There is no crystal ball to predict which residents may become agitated later in their disease, however, there are a few ways to gain some insight into behaviors that may be more predictable.

In the Arizona case, the resident who became violent and killed her roommate had been involuntarily discharged from another assisted living 3 weeks earlier but was allowed admission to this assisted living center. What is your process for screening admissions? Do you ask, “what is mom’s current living arrangement”, or “has mom ever lived in another assisted living/skilled nursing center”? It sounds elementary but honestly, we are all busy, and the daughter says, “mom is wonderful, she just has some memory issues”. That is what we do, right? We provide supportive care for our residents living with dementia. Are we doing it well? Yes, most of the time we are, however, staying involved is key. Are you getting a daily report on each resident, so you know when a resident’s behaviors are escalating, or they are exhibiting new, anti-social behaviors. Do your staff have the resources they need to manage anti-social behaviors, i.e., mental health consultants, therapeutic activity professionals, psychology/psychiatry providers, pharmacy consultants, music therapists, etc.? Remember, you can’t manage a memory care unit without resources. Might be time to look at your current practices, talk to your staff and families, ask the questions, you might be surprised at what you find! Stay well and stay informed!