10 Essential Facts about Changed Behaviour and Psychological Symptoms in Dementia
What you need to know about drugs, care and your legal and ethical rights
The latest from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality
Take our 10 minute Webinar Empowering people with dementia and their proxy decision makers regarding deprescribing
Coping with changing behaviour
Get Informed
Learn more about how we are empowering people living with dementia, their families and supporters to be informed decision makers regarding the care and treatment (including medications) they receive.
Who are we?
The Empowered Project is funded by the Australian Government through the Dementia and Aged Care Services (DACS) Fund. The project is led by human rights charity Capacity Australia, in partnership with the Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration, UNSW Sydney.
What will we do?
Funding has been provided to implement a national awareness-raising campaign aiming to provide the Australian community with information about choice, legal, ethical and human rights regarding dementia care, particularly the use of medications to treat changed behaviours.
Why do we need empowerment?
People with dementia have the right to autonomy and choice, based on informed consent, in regards to treatment including drug treatments. They have the right to receive evidence-based, quality care in the community, hospital and in aged care facilities.
Latest News
- “Stronger Restraint Regulations to Protect Senior Australians”
- “Aged care homes facing new rules on restraints as Federal Government unveils crackdown”
- “Action on Aged Care for LGBTI Senior Australians”
- “New Restraint Regulations in Aged Care Homes”
- “Aged Care Restraint Regulation to Protect Senior Australians”
- “Nursing homes turning residents into ‘zombies’, aged care royal commission to hear”
- “Needless treatments: antipsychotic drugs are rarely effective in ‘calming’ dementia patients”
Consent for Psychotropic use in dementia: A guide for prescribers across Australia
Prescribing psychotropic medications for people with dementia without consent is a great concern and an issue that the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will examine. As part of the Empowered Project resources, we have distilled a large amount of legal information into a simplified, user-friendly guide to consent laws, tailored to each state of Australia. We hope this resource will be useful to prescribers, aged care providers and patients and families.
Read the guide
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Have questions, comments or suggestions?
Get in contact with the Empowered Project Team