The National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes is committed to improving the quality of care for individuals with dementia living in nursing homes. The National Partnership has a mission to deliver health care that is person-centered, comprehensive and interdisciplinary with a specific focus on protecting residents from being prescribed antipsychotic medications unless there is a valid, clinical indication and a systematic process to evaluate each individual’s need. The Centersfor Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) promotes a multidimensional approach that includes; research, partnerships and state-based coalitions, revised surveyor guidance, training for providers and surveyors and public reporting. CMS is tracking the progress of the National Partnership by reviewing publicly reported measures.
The official measure of the Partnership is the percentage of long-stay nursing home residents who are receiving an antipsychotic medication, excluding those residents diagnosed with schizophrenia, Huntington’s Disease or Tourette’s Syndrome. In 2011Q4, 23.9 percent of long-stay nursing home residents were receiving an antipsychotic medication; since then there has been a decrease of 31.8 percent to a national prevalence of 16.3 percent in 2016Q2. Success has varied by state and CMS region, with some states and regions having seen a reduction of greater than 30 percent.
A four-quarter average of this measure is posted to the Nursing Home Compare website at https://www.medicare.gov/ nursinghomecompare/.
Connie’s comments: Many caregivers in care homes are taking care of mentally challenged seniors. They have anxiety disorders and revert back to childlike behavior. In the company of others, they are less anxious while some of them have insomia, depression and panic attacks.