{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T14:32:58Z","timestamp":1788532378969,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,8]],"date-time":"2023-12-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1701993600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>To better meet the needs of people living with advanced dementia, Orchard Care Homes, United Kingdom have established an enhanced person focused program, namely the Reconnect program, which provides an enriched psycho-social care to enhance peoples\u2019 quality of life and well-being. Here we aimed to review the impact of this program on people living with dementia.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>In this study the implementation of the Reconnect program was evaluated for two six-month periods (April\u2013September 2020 and April\u2013September 2021). The focus of this evaluation was on three key interventions: increasing meaningful occupation and engagement; improving pain identification and management, and reducing constipation. The Reconnect program was conducted in a single for-profit care home. It involved residents with complex dementia needs who previously not responded to support in alternative settings or found previous care ineffective in relieving their distress and reducing risks they pose to themselves or others.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 24 people participated in the program during this evaluation. We observed a substantial increase in engagement in meaningful activity per person, including an increase of outdoor access to fresh air. Pain management improved as evidenced by more standardized pain assessments using the PainChek system and coverage of people with either regular and\/or \u201cwhen required\u201d pain management. Constipation relief also improved. For the two comparison periods, distress responses per resident reduced from 14.5 to 10.6 events and use of regular pain relief increased from 21.7 to 48.1%. Use of \u201cwhen required\u201d benzodiazepine halved from 6\u2009months average of 46 to 23.2 doses given. Benzodiazepine dose reductions increased from 13.3 to 31.8%, while cessations increased from 20 to 50%. We also observed a reduction from 76.3 to 56.3% in antipsychotic use. Their dose reductions increased from 8.3 to 40% and drug cessation was made in 30% of people using antipsychotics (compared to the first period in which no medication cessation was observed). A 91.7% reduction (i.e., from 36 to 3 events) in safeguarding events related to behaviors was also observed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Introduction of the Reconnect program, through its interventions focused on meaningful activity engagement, pain management and constipation relief resulted in substantial improvements related to people\u2019s distress, safeguarding and psychotropic use.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2023.1191105","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,8]],"date-time":"2023-12-08T12:32:09Z","timestamp":1702038729000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Clinical impact of a multifaceted intervention aimed at decreasing distress in people living with dementia: evaluating the Reconnect program"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Cheryl","family":"Baird","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hannah","family":"Miller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kreshnik","family":"Hoti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jeffery","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1215","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpainsymman.2020.10.011","article-title":"Pain in dementia: prevalence and association with neuropsychiatric behaviors","volume":"61","author":"Atee","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Pain Symptom Manag"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1017\/S1041610213001609","article-title":"The course of neuropsychiatric symptoms in nursing-home patients with dementia over a 53-month follow-up period","volume":"26","author":"Selb\u00e6k","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int Psychogeriatr"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"298","DOI":"10.34297\/AJBSR.2020.09.001412","article-title":"A personalized music intervention (PMI) to decrease BPSDS in patients with dementia on a geriatric dementia unit: promoting patient centred care and quality of life","volume":"9","author":"Bartfay","year":"2020","journal-title":"Am J Biomed Sci Res"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"883","DOI":"10.1002\/gps.4865","article-title":"Evaluation of the implementation of the meeting centres support program in Italy, Poland, and the UK; 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