Nail Down The Prevalence Of Cognitive Impairment In Your Facility

Yes, your facility's cognitive impairment quality indicator gives you a snapshot of the incidence of residents coded as newly cognitively impaired. But to design your programming effectively, you also need to know the prevalence of cognitive impairment in your facility.

People with dementia have a higher risk for falls, elopement, behavioral symptoms and weight loss--and they require activities designed to meet their needs.

Solution: "Some MDS software will allow you to pick MDS items, such as B4 (decision-making) and B2a (short-term memory) and say "give me a list of all the residents who have had this item" coded a certain way, says Nathan Lake, RN, an MDS expert in Seattle. "Otherwise, you could keep a checklist of people coded as impaired in daily decision-making at B4 (> 0) and with short-term memory problems or a "1" at B2a. Then use that tally to calculate the prevalence of cognitive problems in the facility, Lake suggests.