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Evidence to Improve Care

Dementia

Care for People Living in the Community

Click below to see a list of brief quality statements and scroll down for more information.


Quality standards are sets of concise statements designed to help health care professionals easily and quickly know what care to provide, based on the best evidence.

See below for the quality statements and click for more detail.

Quality Statement 1: Comprehensive Assessment and Diagnosis
People suspected to have mild cognitive impairment or dementia receive a comprehensive assessment when signs are first identified. If diagnosed with either condition, they are then reassessed on a regular basis or when there is a significant change in their condition.

Quality Statement 2: Interprofessional Care Team
People living with dementia have access to community-based dementia care from an interprofessional team with expertise in dementia care, of which the person living with dementia and their caregivers are integral team members.

Quality Statement 3: Individualized Care Plan
People living with dementia have an individualized care plan that guides their care. The plan identifies their individual needs, those of their caregivers, and goals of care. The plan is reviewed and updated on a regular basis, including documentation of changing needs and goals and the person’s response to interventions.

Quality Statement 4: Named Point of Contact
People living with dementia and their caregivers have one or more named providers on the interprofessional care team who serve as a point of contact to facilitate care coordination and transitions across settings.

Quality Statement 5: Education and Training for People Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers
People living with dementia and their caregivers have access to education and training on dementia and available support services.

Quality Statement 6: Education and Training for Health Care Providers
Health care providers delivering care and services to people living with dementia receive education and training in dementia care.

Quality Statement 7: Access to Support Services
People living with dementia and their caregivers have access to support services that are individualized and meet their ongoing goals and needs.

Quality Statement 8: Caregiver Assessment and Support
Caregivers of people living with dementia are assessed on an ongoing basis and offered supports to address their individual needs.

Quality Statement 9: Safe Living Environment
People living with dementia have access to a safe living environment that meets their specific needs, including design modifications and a range of housing options.

Quality Statement 10: Access to Primary Care
People living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia have regular visits with a primary care physician or nurse practitioner who provides effective primary care that meets both their general health care needs and their specific needs related to cognitive impairment or dementia.

Search below for the quality standard; the guide for patients; an information brief demonstrating why the quality standard is needed; quality improvement tools and resources; and performance indicators to help clinicians and organizations track their progress against the standard.

Quality Standard

Know what quality care looks like, based on evidence and expert consensus

The clinical guide cover for behavioural symptoms of dementia

Patient Reference Guide

Patients: know what to ask for in your care

Patient reference guide cover for behavioural symptoms of dementia

Recommendations for Adoption

System-wide and regional requirements to help health care professionals and organizations meet the standards

Recommendations for Adoption

Getting Started Tools to Support Health Care Professionals

A Guide for putting quality standards into practice (for best results view on Adobe Reader)

An Action Plan Template

On Quorum; a List of Tools and Resources to embed into practice

Getting Started Guide

Infographic

See why we need a quality standard on dementia care for people living in the community

Medical professionals huddled around a computer

Measurement Guide

See the technical specifications for the indicators within the quality standard

measurement ruler

We have prepared a summary of the public feedback we received for this quality standard. If you would like a copy of this report, please email us at qualitystandards@ontariohealth.ca.

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