Medication app for staff working with people with dementia

Dementia Training Australia (DTA) has released a new mobile device app to assist staff involved in medication management to provide quality use of medicines for people living with dementia.

The Medication Management app is based on popular hard-copy quick reference cards that were also developed by DTA.

The app has two sections. The first provides information on the optimal use of antipsychotic medications for responsive behaviours; this includes medication management plans, monitoring, and side effects. The second section lists medications that may adversely affect cognition to assist staff to identify these medications during medication review.

DTA is funded by the Australian Government to provide dementia education and training across Australia. DTA is delivering a coordinated national approach to dementia training, combining the dementia expertise of five universities and Alzheimer’s Australia.

The Medication Management app is one of a suite of medication management resources developed by DTA’s team at the University of Western Australia. The resources, to be launched in Perth on October 4, include:

• Management of antipsychotic medications in residential aged care facilities online course
• A consultancy service that assists residential care providers to ensure their use of antipsychotic medications is aligned with recommended practice. This service is available as part of a DTA Tailored Training Package
• Dementia Friendly Pharmacy workshops across Australia.

DTA’s Medication Management App is available for iPhone, iPad and Android. Search your app provider for ‘DTA Medications’ and look for the orange DTA icon. The PC version is available on our website.

For more information on DTA courses, resources and services, visit www.dta.com.au