Demand for dementia support services up during COVID-19 pandemic as providers struggled amid restrictions – agency staff linked to higher use.

One of the criticisms of the restrictions on visits imposed by many aged care providers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of residents living with dementia – now confirmation that some residents were in need of extra support.

Dementia Support Australia (DSA) provides three national services – all funded by the Federal Government:

• Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service (DBMAS) (which provides support for staff and carers including advice and short-term case management interventions)
• Severe Behaviour Response Teams (a 24/7 mobile service for people with dementia who are experiencing severe behaviours or psychological symptoms of dementia)
• Needs Based Assessment Program (NBA), which assesses eligibility for the Specialist Dementia Care Program (SDCP) (the new government units being rolled out nationally that provide individualised care for people with very severe behaviours and psychological symptoms of dementia)

The Weekly Source talked to its Director, Associate Professor Colm Cunningham (pictured above), about the use of their services over the past few months.

He stresses that providers in Australia have done well, especially when compared to overseas, but confirmed that the pandemic has provided aged care homes with some challenges because of the limitations on activities and engagement opportunities.

“Some of our support did need to provide additional assistance and focus on the engagement of the person with dementia in the absence of these,” he said.

Assoc Prof Cunningham said changes in behaviours seen as aggression and agitation have always been their highest reason for referral and this carried on into this period. In 60% of cases, he says this ‘behaviour’ is related to undertreated or undiagnosed pain issue – however, what he labels ‘carer approach’ and environmental impacts are also issues.

“During the pandemic, with some homes experiencing higher staff changes or use of casual/agency staff there was a small increase in carer approach being more reflective of the behaviour being experienced,” he added.

DSA have continued to deliver all three services throughout the pandemic – and while some providers did opt for a telehealth or video health consultation (and travel and border restrictions also provided some challenges), on-the-ground visits to care providers grew in comparison to the same three months (March, April, May) in 2019.

They also fast-tracked the pilot of their DSA Live Chat service as another way for providers and the public to access their services and seek advice and support while restrictions were in place. Looking ahead, the Director says they expect the number of referrals to DSA to continue to rise as restrictions ease.

“The service is running to full capacity and some weeks have shown significant increases to referral rates, while these rates are expected to be sustained, they are manageable,” Assoc Prof Cunningham stated.

This article was originally published on the Weekly Source on 25 June 2020. Original article link: https://www.theweeklysource.com.au/demand-for-dementia-support-services-up-during-covid-19-pandemic-as-providers-struggled-amid-restrictions-agency-staff-linked-to-higher-use