Aged Care Services - Specialist Dementia Care Program Needs-Based Assessment Service grant opportunity

Overview

The Specialist Dementia Care Program (SDCP) is a new Australian Government initiative that will establish specialist dementia care units to support people who experience very severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) who are unable to be appropriately cared for by mainstream aged care services. The program will offer specialised, transitional residential support, focussing on reducing or stabilising symptoms over time, with the aim of enabling people to move to less intensive care settings. The SDCP requires a nationally consistent assessment framework for all assessments of people to access care under the program. The Severe Behaviour Response Team (SBRT) service currently provides national specialist support to organisations caring for people living with dementia and clinical support for aged care staff to improve the care of people experiencing severe or very severe and of BPSD. Dementia Services Australia in partnership with the University of New South Wales are currently developing an assessment tool based on the seven-tier model (Brodaty et al model) of management of BPSD.  In the initial grant period, the SBRT will test this assessment tool and may suggest refinements before applying it as part of the needs-based assessment framework for the program. The SBRT is a fundamental element of the program and has been identified to have: the specialised experience and expertise to conduct the needs-based assessments on a national level as required under the SDCP; existing infrastructure and relationships to support the delivery of the activities; and knowledge of and capability to deliver to the project objectives and outcomes.