About
Positive Ageing Consultancy & Training
PACT is a Private Limited Company created to meet the need for high quality behavioural service provision for older adults in the UK. Time and time again we saw older adults with behavioural issues struggle to access any behavioural support through conventional channels, often medication being the only option offered to caregivers.
Our Directors are both BCBAs and UKBA(Cert)s and believe every older adult should have the right to evidence-based, effective support from a highly skilled behaviour specialist. We are here to provide individualised behavioural support with warmth, dignity and compassion.
Behavioural Gerontology
Behavioural gerontology is application of the science of human behaviour to improve the lives of older adults. The origins of behavioural gerontology date back to the 1960s and there has been a consistent and growing research base behind its effectiveness since then. Behavioural gerontology is derived from the science of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) but is also often described as Positive Behaviour Support for older adults.
Older adults, particularly those with dementia, are often prescribed medications to attempt to reduce behavioural expressions of unmet needs. The NICE guidelines, the Department of Health 2009 Report and The British Psychological Society amongst others, all call for behavioural approaches to be implemented as a first course of action when addressing distressing behaviours of older adults with dementia. Medications are often ineffective, can have drastic side effects, and lead to many excess deaths each year. A 2018 overview of the evidence found that functional-based approaches (such as behavioural gerontology) should be considered the first-line intervention for people with dementia.
Care providers, managers and staff have told us about the pressure they are under to try to support with difficult behavioural issues of their clients. Understanding of the complex principles of human behaviour and how to apply these to the benefit of older adults is a highly specialised skillset requiring many years of advanced study, clinical experience, and takes a significant amount of time to conduct properly. It is unreasonable to expect care staff to provide this type of assessment and intervention. We are skilled and practical specialists who are able to provide these services for yourself, your loved one, or your client.
Behavioural gerontologists are experts in assessing behaviours of concern and subsequently designing bespoke interventions to provide the best quality of life for their clients.
Behavioural gerontology is practical, optimistic and positive in its approach. We do not believe that problems of older adults are caused solely by age; to believe this means we would abandon any attempts that we could help improve the situation. Instead, we know that we can alter the environment the person lives in and support carers to behave in a way that brings about improvements for our clients.
We are not here to teach you awareness of dementia, to teach you to empathise (although of course that is important), or to prescribe your client more medication. We are here to provide positive, realistic, practical and effective support that makes a real difference to the quality of life for both your client and you.
Positive Ageing Consultancy & Training is a BACB Authorised Continuing Education Provider. View our on-demand training courses
