Support for people with dementia experiencing severe responsive behaviours: Unpacking the disconnect between policy and practice.

Objective: The Severe Behaviour Response Team (SBRT) program, which was established in 2015 to support aged care residents with dementia experiencing very severe and extreme responsive behaviours received far fewer referrals than projected during its first year. This article describes the outcomes of a brief survey to identify potential barriers to referrals and identify opportunities to improve the uptake of the service.

Methods: A pragmatic, quasi-experimental study was conducted involving clinical leads working in a representative sample of care homes that had not used the SBRT.

Implementation of a Pilot SMS-Based Crisis Support Service in Australia.

Australia's first short message service (SMS) crisis support service was launched by Lifeline Australia in July 2018. The pilot program was independently evaluated over a 240-day period. We aimed to examine the experiences of key staff employed in the Lifeline Text pilot and identify the skills and types of support required to deliver a high-quality SMS-based crisis support service.

Evaluation of Outcomes for Help Seekers Accessing a Pilot SMS-Based Crisis Intervention Service in Australia.

In July 2018, Lifeline Australia launched Australia's first short message service (SMS) crisis support service. Lifeline Text aims to reduce psychological distress and increase coping and social connectedness among help seekers, particularly those who prefer text-based communication. We aimed to independently evaluate the pilot SMS service over a 240-day period.

Rapid response teams to support dementia care in Australian aged care homes: Review of the evidence.

Objectives: To identify attributes of rapid response services designed to support people with very severe and extreme responsive behaviours, otherwise known as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, in aged care homes.

Methods: A rapid evidence assessment was conducted to inform the evaluation of the Severe Behaviour Response Team (SBRT) service, including a targeted search of peer-reviewed academic literature and an Internet-based search of government, service provider, peak body and university websites.

Results: A number of localised rapid response services targeting people with similar clinical profiles were identified, but none operated on the scale of the SBRT.