Category Archives: Senior Care Professionals

Will 2017 be the Year of Dementia Friendly Hospitals?

Senior Female Patient Being Pushed In Wheelchair By Nurse

In my office there is a framed print of Nelson Mandela’s famous quote “It always seems impossible until IT’S DONE”.  I believe hospitals have procrastinated long enough in becoming dementia friendly and the urgency to GET IT DONE is now.

The surge of dementia patients entering emergency rooms, combined with hospital-acquired delirium (often higher in intensive care and surgery) is straining healthcare staff in their ability to properly treat patients and costing million of dollars.  Many advocates agree that dementia is the next public healthcare crisis.

While “dementia-friendly” may seem an impossible task, patient-centered initiatives aimed at improving communication skills, care procedures and making environmental improvements can create deep culture change in any hospital. In fact, patients, families, staff, volunteers and the community will create transformational change.

Let’s look at a few examples of simple dementia friendly initiatives that can be impactful in helping a patient with dementia:

  1.  Reduce noise and overstimulation in a patient’s room.
  2. Use pictures instead of words (ex. shirt and pants on the closet door)
  3. Teach communication skills to staff and volunteers.  Provide training that is impactful for everyone who comes in contact with the patient!
  4. Have simple communication/care practice guidelines available for families that incorporates communication skills used by hospital staff.
  5. Design a dementia-specific activity area for patients with cognitive impairment and their families.
  6. Reevaluate room safety, eliminating or properly disguising hazards.
  7. Incorporate researched,  holistic therapies that can reduce the need for psychotropic medications.
  8. Designate leaders that have advanced dementia training to help implement and monitor changes, and provide ongoing education to all stakeholders.
  9. Be willing to take one step at a time,  create measurable tracking tools, listen to employee and family suggestions and adjust education and training protocols as needed.
  10. Lastly, have a plan to share dementia friendly initiatives with a strong community outreach education program.  Not only will you be making a difference in helping your community, but it’s great PR for your hospital.

MAKE 2017 the year YOUR hospital becomes dementia friendly!

Pam Brandon, President/Founder AGE-u-cate® Training Institute www.AGEucate.com ;  pam@AGEucate.com

Fun is Good…Says Dr. Seuss

Fun is goodWe’ve almost made it through the 1st month of 2017.  I’m always amazed at how the world seems to stop in its track after Thanksgiving.   Then January rolls around, and  it’s All Hands on Deck!  So if your January has hit you like a Nor’ East wind,  remember the wise words of one of our greatest authors, Dr. Seuss…. FUN IS GOOD!

It’s this thing called dopamine… the neurotransmitter in our brain that sends signals that control movement, emotions and our abilities to experience pleasure and pain.

According to Dr. Matt Bellace at Lynn University in Florida, laughter releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which serves as a reward for the brain, creates a sense of euphoria, and plays a pivotal role in our motivation to continue the behavior. Dr. Bellace notes that the benefits of laughter include improved immune functioning, stress relief, increased tolerance for pain, improved cardiovascular health, reduced anxiety, and improved mood.

For all of you consummate learners out there (I’m one of them), did you know that every time we’re interested and engaged in a subject, our brain get a shot of dopamine.  It makes us want to keep learning and pushing ourselves.  That’s really exciting for those of us in the training business.  We like it when our participants are engaged and inspired… and trust me, as a trainer and speaker, I am tuned in to watch for dopamine surges!

So as we usher in a new year in the senior care industry, with all the challenges that it will most certainly bring, I think one of the greatest gifts we can offer those we serve is FUN.  The great paradox of life holds true:  the more you give the more you get.   We have great opportunities ahead of us to enrich others lives so let’s all go out and spread some dopamine!

The Healing Power of Nature for Elders and Caregivers

IMG_0731Nature heals.  Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality, according to scientists such as public health researchers Stamatakis and Mitchell.

I was able to retreat to the Colorado Rockies recently after leading a dementia training in the Denver area.  The further I drove from the city traffic the more relaxed I became, as the mountains surrounded me and hustle and bustle subsided with each mile closer to my destination.

Research done in hospitals, offices, and schools has found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.

I’m excited to see that more care communities are integrating raised beds, gardening activities, serene courtyards and interspersing scenes of nature in their decor.  Not only is it helping residents but care partners also are benefiting from the restorative power of nature.

According to research by the University of Minnesota,  we are genetically programmed to find tress, plants, water and other nature elements engrossing, thus we are absorbed by nature scenes and distracted from our pain and discomfort.

This was demonstrated in a classic study of patients who underwent gallbladder surgery;  half had a view of tress and half had a view of a wall.  According to the physician who conducted the study, Robert Ulrich, the patients with the view of trees tolerated pain better, appeared to nurses to have fewer negative effects, and spent less time in a  hospital.

In another study in Mind, 95% of those interviewed said their mood improved after spending time outside, changing from depressed, stressed, and anxious to more calm and balanced.  Other studies by Ulrich, Kim and Cervinka show that time in nature or scenes of nature are associated with positive mood, psychological well being, meaningfulness and vitality.

With a mission to transform aging for our elders and those caring for them, we are constantly seeking tools that will enhance lives.  To know that a simple plant can have such healing effects is truly amazing and should be an inspiration for all of us to take steps to integrate nature into our daily lives.

We don’t all have access to the mountains, but a garden stroll with an elder can change one’s mood, reduce stress, pain and enhance engagement.  It is an activity that can be shared with families and other care partners.  It’s simple person-centered care at its best.

http://twin-cities.umn.edu/

Senior Care Professionals – Are you a Passionate Leader?

PASSION trumps all.  I was recently told this by a well respected CEO of a very successful company in the senior care industry.   As I witness the growth of our business I can attest to the fact that many of the clients we work with are passionate in their drive to go above and beyond in serving their residents, customers, families and communities.  Those who work in and with our company have a passion in improving lives for older adults and their care partners.

Merriam-Webster defines passion as: a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something.

Passion turns a job into a life calling

Passion calls us to fulfill a dream, change lives and improve the world

Passion draws other passionate people to a mission

Passion drives people to work through challenges and difficulties

Many companies in the senior care industry (AGE-u-cate® included) have been created by founders who in some way were personally changed through an experience of caring for an aging loved one.  The complexities of a changing healthcare landscape,  growing choices for aging in place and within a community setting, and meeting the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of the explosive numbers of families caring for loved ones have created opportunities at every juncture of the senior care spectrum.  If there was every an industry to draw passionate, caring individuals it is in senior care.

 Leaders who are passionate attract passionate people who want to further a mission with meaning. 

According to Certified Executive Coach Nozami Morgan “This is in large part because people want to follow a passionate leader. Someone who cares about not only the cause for which he or she is working, but also the other people who are involved in the effort. Passion for the projects, for the company and for the people involved are key to successful leadership.

In a more tangible sense, this essentially comes down to an attitude or mindset when working on projects. The people who are passionate about their work don’t do it for the sake of “doing stuff.” They aren’t the types who sit in their office and try to look busy until 5 pm. They’re driven by curiosity and the motivation to learn about the world around them.

Here’s to welcoming in a New Year of Passionate Leadership!