Tag Archives: Person-centered

Senior Care Professionals, The Family Caregiver

Dementia Care: How to Make Magic Connections

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Dementia care magic-wandWhen visiting someone with dementia, be ready for anything. Things can change day- to- day, even moment- to- moment in dementia care. A little preparation can go a long way to help create a positive experience in dementia care. Have a “magic bag” ready that you can pull things out of that may reach through the dementia to the person inside.

The magic begins by interacting with all the senses. Though some senses may have diminished from effects of dementia, other senses may still be sharp. In previous posts, we suggested pictures or items to bring back memories. There’s memory magic in senses beyond just vision.

The key to creating magic is to learn what the person did in the past or what was happening in the era that they grew up in, and then recreate sensory experiences to evoke memories.

Sound magic is not limited to just music. You can find recorded sounds of just about anything online, especially on Youtube. Here are a few favorite examples.

Familiar sounds often help to recall memories and evoke emotions and stories are sure to follow.

Touch magic is made with texture of familiar things from a person’s life. Present different textures of things such as fruits, fabrics, sand, beans, string/yarn, seashells, leaves, doll babies, tools, engines, aprons. Explore with many objects to discover which ones bring comfort or trigger memories.

If your magic bag contains objects to see, hear and touch, you’ll be equipped to conjure special moments. Care partners become detectives as we look for pieces of life. Because you never know what that one thing will be that reaches a forgotten piece. The magic happens while taking the journey together.

Senior Care Professionals

Dementia Communication: Learn how to understand

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Dementia trainingHealthcare is quickly becoming dementia care. Whether you work in a clinic, long term care, home care, or hospital, you will interact with people dementia.  And these people will likely have speech and language challenges.  Dementia care training often focuses on the underlying impairment when care partners really need practical solutions.  Easy-to-learn dementia communication skills, save both parties frustration. Here are a helpful strategies.

When she has trouble finding the right words to tell you want she wants to say or you can’t understand her because of “word salad” or slurred speech.
  •  She may understand more than she can express with words.
  • Use skilled touch to reassure her.
  • Listen for a key word or phrase to give you a clue about what she is telling you and repeat the word to let her know you are paying attention.
  • Remember the emotions behind the words are more important than the words. Validate the emotion. Mirror the non-verbal expression: facial expression, movements or sounds.
  • It is easier for her to answer yes or no questions or those requiring one word response rather than open ended questions.
When he has trouble understanding what you say:
  •  Use touch to engage his attention.
  • Supplement your speech with gestures.
  • Be patient. Allow time for him to absorb what you said.
  • Pay attention to your non-verbal expression. It “speaks” when words are lost.
  • Point to objects that will clarify the message – or act out what you are trying to say.
  • Ask one question at a time.

When you feel confident in your ability to handle dementia communication challenges, you’re more at ease. You can then shift your focus away from the physical condition to what is even more important—the person you are serving at the moment.  You will be freer to connect with the person as a human being, a form of communication that speaks louder than words ever can. Isn’t that what person centered care is all about?

 

Senior Care Professionals

Person Centered Care…Moving the Mission Forward

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Person-Centered Care
I had the privilege to lead a session on our Dementia Live™and Compassionate Touch® person-centered care programs at the recent American Health Care Association National Convention in Nashville last week.  As part of the Dementia Education Track faculty, it was such an honor to speak to so many passionate leaders who are stepping out of the box and doing amazing things to transform their communities. I love to listen to the success stories and challenges as it helps us  grow as an organization in helping those we serve.

Kenneth Gronbach’s fantastic keynote address was a clear reminder to us all that the Age Curve is not going to happen – it’s here.   And the numbers speak for themselves. It is a clear reminder that as we face the aging tsunami we  as leaders, MUST look forward in the way we will care for our aging population.

The medical model of care is shifting – albeit a bit too slow for those of us with a mission to see person-centered care become the standard. But let’s focus on the good things happening.  One is the new federal and state regulations that require higher standards of training across the spectrum. This is going to have a great affect on pushing person and patient centered care initiatives to the forefront.

The big question is how we will move the Mission Forward to produce real culture change in our organizations. This takes much more than goals of teaching core competencies. It’s a matter of prioritizing the quality of training, how it will be integrated and the big challenge – how it will be sustainable within your organization.  Culture change happens when everyone – those who live in, work and visit your communities – think, feel and act differently.

We are moving to fast on the Age Curve to rest on what we’ve been doing and look at what CAN be done. I look forward to sharing in future blogs the incredible work that is being down around the world to transform eldercare.  It’s an exciting time to be working together in moving the mission forward!

http://www.AGEucate.com