Delirium, Dementia, and Depression in Older Adults: Assessment and Care

Published: July 2016
Available in English, Spanish
Clinical,  Mental health and substance use,  Older adults

Purpose and scope

This best practice guideline (BPG) outlines recommendations for the assessment and care of delirium, dementia and depression in older adults. The focus is on the provision of effective, compassionate and dignified care, and on managing any presenting signs, symptoms or behaviours.  Nurses…

This best practice guideline (BPG) outlines recommendations for the assessment and care of delirium, dementia and depression in older adults. The focus is on the provision of effective, compassionate and dignified care, and on managing any presenting signs, symptoms or behaviours. 

Nurses and other members of the interprofessional health-care team can use this BPG to enhance the quality of their practice pertaining to delirium, dementia and depression in older adults, and to optimize clinical outcomes by using evidence-based practices. The recommendations apply to foundational clinical care provided by nurses and other health-care providers in a range of community and health-care settings.

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Video label
Guideline overview
Reference

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. (2016). Delirium, Dementia, and Depression in Older Adults: Assessment and Care (2nd ed.) Toronto, ON: Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.

Recommendations

Do you want to learn about and implement the most- up-to-date evidence-based recommendations on this topic with your colleagues? Download and share the full best practice guideline (BPG), Delirium, Dementia, and Depression in Older Adults: Assessment and Care.
See below for a snapshot of the recommendations from this BPG. We strongly suggest you review the full BPG before implementing the recommendations and good practice statements. The BPG also includes further resources to support implementation and evaluation.  

Disclaimer: These guidelines are not binding for nurses, other health providers or the organizations that employ them. The use of these guidelines should be flexible and based on individual needs and local circumstances. They constitute neither a liability nor discharge from liability. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents at the time of publication, neither the authors nor the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) gives any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them or accepts any liability with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omission in the contents of this work.

Revision status

Current edition published 2016.

About the new edition

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is developing a third edition of this best practice guideline (BPG), with the working title Delirium, Dementia, and Depression in Older Adults: Assessment and Care. The anticipated publication date is 2025. 

This BPG is intended to replace the RNAO BPGs Screening for Delirium, Dementia and Depression in Older Adults (2010), Caregiving Strategies for Older Adults with Delirium, Dementia and Depression (2010), and Delirium, Dementia, and Depression in Older Adults: Assessment and Care (2016).

1. Topic selection
In progress
2. Panel of experts
3. Systematic Review
4. Recommendation development
5. Stakeholder review
6. Publication

Contact

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