The BC Patient Safety and Quality Council is inviting long-term care homes in British Columbia to join Clear—a voluntary initiative that aims reduce the use of antipsychotics among residents—as Action & Improvement Teams or Supporters.
This third wave of Clear will include homes which have more residents receiving anti-psychotics without a diagnosis of psychosis than the current BC average (25 per cent).
Through thoughtful assessment and non-pharmacological approaches, many care homes in Clear’s first two waves (when it was known as CLeAR: A Call for Less Antipsychotics in Residential Care) significantly improved quality of life for some residents with dementia by reducing or discontinuing their use of antipsychotics. Some care providers noticed residents feeding themselves again, while others found a lower risk of falls. Staff improved teamwork, and learned more about the appropriate use of antipsychotics for residents.
Recently, in Clear’s second wave, 40 care homes collectively reduced or discontinued antipsychotics for 68 per cent of residents who were being prescribed them–that’s 1,001 people.
Visit ClearBC.ca to learn more, or watch this short video that tells the story of Clear’s impact on care home staff and residents.
Alignment with Similar Work
Clear complements other initiatives your care home may already be implementing, such as PIECES, Gentle Persuasive Approach, Dementiability, and Creating Connections: Working with People with Dementia.
Physicians involved in the GPSC Residential Care and Shared Care Poly Pharmacy Risk Reduction initiatives help to lead Clear, ensuring it aligns with the initiatives’ work. Clear is also guided by a provincial Partnership Alliance of key stakeholders who create opportunities for alignment between Clear and its partners. Contact Clear for specific information about how it aligns with work underway in your care home.
Membership
You can sign up an Action & Improvement Team whose members will learn skills and tools from advisors and clinical experts with extensive knowledge in improving care for seniors, including assessing and measuring changes, collecting and interpreting data, change strategies, and clinical best practices. These skills and tools may also help you address other challenging clinical issues in your care home.
Please note that space for Action & Improvement Teams is currently reserved for care homes with more than 25 per cent of residents prescribed antipsychotics without a psychosis diagnosis. Contact Clear if you’re unsure of your care home’s percentage, or wish to be added to the wait list.
You could also join Clear in a less involved way—you and your staff can participate as supporters. Spread the word, receive newsletters, and access most of Clear’s resources.
Sign up on ClearBC.ca by November 24.
Questions?
Clear is hosting three info webinars in November–visit ClearBC.ca for the dates. For more information, contact BCPSQC Quality Leader Tara Fitzgerald at 250-830-3734 or tfitzgerald@bcpsqc.ca.
