Principal speaker
Associate Professor Andrew Teodorczuk
Menzies Health Institute Queensland
Optimising Health Outcomes Program
Dementia Awareness Month Event
Title
Delirium: the invisible illness
Abstract
Despite being preventable and treatable, delirium is associated with negative healthcare outcomes, is highly distressing to patients and carers and exerts a considerable financial toll on healthcare organisations. Arguably, this is because it is under detected and remains invisible at bedside, policy and system levels. Typically misdiagnosed as dementia or depression, within this talk, a state of the science update will be presented on how to spot, stop and treat delirium. New understandings about the relationship with dementia will be covered as well as an in-depth deconstruction of healthcare practice in relation to delirium care. Based on greater understandings from qualitative studies, evidence based educational approaches to up skill staff in delirium care will be outlined. The talk will finish with reasons to be cheerful with reference to the newly released Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Delirium Care Standards.
Biography
Andrew Teodorczuk is an Associate Professor working at the Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Australia. He completed his Undergraduate medical studies at Edinburgh University and his postgraduate training in the Northern Deanery, UK obtaining his CCT in 2008. He has also completed a Doctorate exploring, by means of a Grounded Theory study, the learning needs of clinical staff in relation to delirium care. He has an active research interest in models of delirium education. He has published extensively in the area and developed effective Interprofessional Education Courses to improve staff delirium practice. Clinically, Andrew is an Old Age Psychiatrist and has worked in Liaison, Inpatient and Community settings in the North East of England. He is also a board member on the European Delirium Association and Australasian Delirium Society.
September is Dementia Awareness Month
The purpose of Dementia Awareness Month is to encourage Australians to become dementia-aware, have a better understanding of what it is like for a person to live with dementia, and ultimately be encouraged to create communities where people with dementia are supported to live a high quality of life with meaning, purpose and value. The theme for 2017 is You are not alone and the main activities are a series of seminars with international and local dementia experts and key note speakers. Read more here.
Seminar Co-Presenter - Gold Coast Health