Dementia 
Copyright: Australian Journal of Dementia Care (www.journalofdementiacare.com) Vol 4 No 5 October/November 2015. Reprinted with the permission of Hawker Publications Australia Pty Ltd.
Led by Professor Henry Brodaty at the Dementia Collaborative Research Centre-Assessment and Better Care (DCRC-ABC) at UNSW Australia, the BPSD Team has developed a suite of resources to support those caring for people with dementia who present with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). The resources are available at: www.dementiaresearch.org.au/bpsdguide
They include an electronic app called Care4Dementia (http://dementiakt.com.au/resource/app-care4dementia/) developed for family carers and direct care staff, providing information and advice to help identify, understand and respond to changed behaviours in safe and respectful ways which best help a person with dementia. The content is based on a series of resources developed by DCRC-ABC since 2011, including Behaviour Management – A Guide To Good Practice: Managing Behavioural And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia (BPSD) (http://dementiakt.com.au/resource/bpsd-resourcesguide-dcrcdtsc/). It includes a comprehensive overview of BPSD management principles to assist clinicians support residential aged care and community care staff and family members caring for people with dementia who are experiencing BPSD, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
The other resources in the suite are:
- A Clinician’s Field Guide To Good Practice: Managing Behavioural And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia (http://dementiakt.com.au/resource/bpsd-guide-clinician/) – a ‘travel size’ portable summary version of the BPSD Guide.
- The BPSD Guide Electronic App For Clinicians (http://dementiakt.com.au/resource/app-bpsd-guide-for-clinicians/) is a condensed, electronic version of the BPSD Guide content, providing quick prompts to summary information.
- The BPSD in-service and evaluation training packages (http://www.dementiaresearch.org.au/bpsdguide.html) support the dissemination and implementation of the PBSD guide principles and are available for appropriately skilled clinicians to deliver training in their workplace.
- A Guide for Family Carers: Dealing with Behaviours in People With Dementia (http://www.dementiaresearch.org.au/images/dcrc/pdf/A_Guide_for_Family_Carers_Dealing_with_Behaviours_in_People_with_Dementia_2014.pdf) is a ‘travel size’ document with strategies and practical information to be provided within the context of professional assessment and support.
The Care4Dementia and BPSD Guide apps are available from the iTunes and Google Play App stores.
Image credit: excerpt of cover, copyright www.dementiaresearch.org.au/images/dcrc/output-files/328-2012_dbmas_bpsd_guidelines_guide.pdf
