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Deter dementia violence with staff training

LTC Liability Monitor, March 26, 2004

The best method to curb violence in nursing homes may be better staff training, suggested experts' testimony before the Senate Special Committee on Aging this week.

Experts claimed the disease remains underdiagnosed by untrained and underpaid healthcare workers-with only a third of dementia sufferers being diagnosed by their primary care physicians-while the number of dementia sufferers committing acts of severe violence is on the rise, according to Reuters Health. Better training for healthcare workers to recognize and manage symptoms of dementia is necessary to prevent violent incidents, experts testified.

Others suggested more funding is needed, and pointed to the high cost of treating the symptoms of dementia coupled with inadequate Medicare reimbursement as part of the problem, Reuters reported.

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