Long-Term Care Survey Alert

You can rate emerging problem behaviors according to a scale like the one used below—and document the assessment in the resident’s care plan.

Scope

1. Occurs rarely (irregularly, no more often than a few times a month).

2. Occurs occasionally (irregularly, as often as a few times a week).

3. Occurs often (regularly, almost daily).

4. Occurs continuously (regularly, many times daily).

Severity

1. Poses minimal risk to the patient or others, or is rarely socially disruptive (e.g., anxiety, safe wandering).

2. Poses slight risk to the patient or others, or is sometimes socially disruptive (e.g., throwing food, engaging in mild verbal abuse, uncontrollable crying or laughing).

3. Poses moderate risk to the patient or others, or is often socially disruptive (e.g., going into others’ rooms, wandering unsafely).

4. Poses major risk to the individual or others, or is always socially disruptive (e.g., defecating in public, engaging in violence).

Source: AMDA, excerpted from the AMDA Clinical Practice Guideline for Dementia. Used with permission.