The future of behavioral health treatment in long-term care is being shaped by multiple factors, including demographic changes, changes in policies, and technological advances. The ability to effectively quantify and mitigate patient behavioral health complications is essential as the long-term care population continues to evolve and grow beyond the geriatric population that was traditionally found in skilled nursing facilities and assisted living settings. This presentation will provide long-term care providers with an overview of how to effectively care for progressively younger residents, who are experiencing chronic mental illness and who present with more complex behaviors than we’ve experienced in years past. We will present key components to consider at the time of admission, potential causes of behavior, the importance of assessment to determine an appropriate plan of action, safety awareness, and interventions. The content of this program can be implemented with success in many residential settings including Assisted Living Communities, Memory Care, and Skilled Nursing Facilities.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this session, participants will self-report a knowledge gain of how to effectively analyze and treatment plan presenting behavioral complexities.

Learner Objectives:

1. Analyze the potential causes and contributing factors of behavioral disturbances.
2. Apply practices that identify the core and essence of who a person is at the time they are admitted to a care setting.
3. Able to articulate the importance of evidence-based practices when seeking psychopharmacological intervention.
4. Examine and utilize key nonpharmacological interventions when addressing and managing behavioral health disorders and psychosocial disturbances.