Behavioral Expression Management
Behavioral Expression Management is the third signature program developed by the Empira consortium. Empira’s Behavioral Expression Management program recognizes that behavioral expressions are a form of communication that challenges caregivers to understand an unmet need, and provides cornerstone care practices designed to proactively address those needs.
By tracking the causation of behavioral expressions, Empira discovered that many operational processes in nursing homes were successfully meeting the physical care needs of residents, but there was an opportunity to improve care for psychosocial needs such as companionship, independence, control, identity, and purpose. Data indicated that behavioral expressions do not occur in vacuum, but rather in synchronization with the individual, environment, and influence of others.
The Behavioral Expression Management program found that preventing and identifying the unmet need behind a challenging behavior starts with understanding the resident on a deeper level. A formal team-based behavioral expression process was developed to help care teams identify unmet needs and develop individual, environmental, and relational interventions.
We developed several systemic best practices for proactively meeting residents’ needs:
- Improved pain management practices for cognitively impaired residents
- Aromatherapy
- Increased staff empathy through education
- Additional purposeful engagement opportunities such as environmental cueing, individualized music, creative storytelling, and drum circles
Prototyping the Behavioral Expression Management program is currently underway. To date, the program’s Quality Indicators are exceeding the performance goal of a 10% improvement, achieving an astonishing 54% improvement rate for challenging behaviors.
For more information on the Behavioral Expression Management program, contact Empira today. We offer education and consulting services to help you better understand the needs of your residents and minimize behavioral challenges with individual, relational, and environmental interventions.