Tag Archives: compassionate touch

Dementia Live, Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals

The Art of Being an Effective Dementia Care Detective

August 18, 2017 Pam Brandon 1 Comment

Responding to challenging behavior for people living with dementia is often the greatest triggers of stress, helplessness and frustration for professional and family caregivers. Learning to be an effective dementia care detective incorporates knowledge of behavioral expression and having effective tools to respond, reassure and comfort.

Understanding and empathy are invaluable learning components for any caregiver or person working with people living with dementia. When we step into their world, even for a brief time and experience what they might go through 24/7, we gain a unique but powerful inside-out perspective of their world.

When we experience their frustration, helplessness, loss of control, feelings of inadequacy and lack of self confidence, our perspective of their world changes dramatically. This “Wow, I had not idea” moment is powerful and unforgettable.

Taking this to new heights of learning requires more than the “Wow” moment. Applying what we learn to understanding root causes of behavioral expression is critical. All behavioral expression is a form of communication that expresses an unmet need. If a person living with dementia has been robbed of language and logic, for instance, the caregiver must fine tune his or her dementia detective skills to determine what the needs are of their care partner.

Because a person living with dementia has slower brain processing speed, feeling rushed or overwhelmed by overstimulation or a caregiver’s lack of patience can often cause outbursts. Simple communication tools might be too slow down our speech, use reassuring touch and communicate just one thought at a time can have an enormous effect on that person’s sense of coping and confidence.

Dementia care detective work requires patience and persistence to unlock the underlying cause of behaviors. Aggression can be caused by disrupted sleep patterns often experienced by those living with dementia. If this is the case, then care partners might try skilled touch, music or other therapies to help that person fall asleep and stay asleep. Although change is difficult for persons with dementia, making small alterations in the environment (change lighting or away from distractions) can be effective.

Detective work requires trial and error. Making notes of when behaviors occur and detecting patterns can be very effective. At the same time, caregivers who practice patience, stress reduction techniques for themselves will help their care partners, especially in times of challenging behavioral expression.

Gaining a foundation of experiencing their world is one of the most powerful and effective tools in building person centered care practices. The transformative Dementia Live™Training and Education program is just that. Effective, feasible and incredibly flexible, this program is available for elder care providers, hospitals, agencies and others to use with staff, families and as community outreach. The AGE-u-cate® team has taken sensitivity awareness training to a new level with the Dementia Live program. We encourage you to visit us at www.AGEucate.com for more information on how to bring Dementia Live™ or Compassionate Touch® to your organization.

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute and a passionate advocate for older adults and those that care for them. She and her team are the creators of the Dementia Live™ and Compassionate Touch ®training programs, empowering caregivers worldwide.

Family Caregiver, Hospital Professionals, Senior Care Professionals

How Five Minutes a Day Can Transform Care for Older Adults

August 8, 2017 Pam Brandon Leave a comment

Time is precious. Staff is in short supply. Family caregivers are stretched to the limit. Just taking care of the basic needs is hard enough, so five minutes a day seems – IMPOSSIBLE!

Humanizing care is the core of the person-centered philosophy initiative sweeping this country. Dignity, respect and understanding the needs of any aging person is a culture change that I believe with enough stakeholders will transform care from the medical model that has driven our health care system for far too long.

If holistic care is the core of this belief, then education and tools for those who care for our older adults is paramount. Tools that are feasible, effective, and will be sustained within the organization. So, how can five minutes a day change someone’s dignity or sense of respect?

Engaging and communication are absolutely essential elements that must be integrated into our staff training and family education plans. These tools are incredibly simple to use, yet often overlooked because we are concentrating on the box checking (aka meeting regulations and requirements). While charting is certainly important, let’s not overlook the essential elements of engagement and communication.

Here are 10 examples that can transform a person’s dignity, self-respect and value in five minutes a day:

Remove words of endearment (honey, sweetie) and refer to them as they would like to be: Mrs., Mr. Sarah, Fred. This takes one minute to ask another staff member, family or even the patient!
When speaking, look at the individual in the eyes, talk clearly and slow down! You don’t have to shout (no one likes being yelled at!). This small gesture tells another person you are engaging with them because you want to engage.
Use gentle touch on the hands, shoulders, arms or face to develop trust and show the person you genuinely care. Touch will induce chemical changes in the brain that induce relaxation, reduce stress and many other benefits.
Ask a person something about them. It may be about their family, or what they did in their career, or a hobby. Learn one new thing about them every day.
Compliment and smile! “You have a lovely blouse on today, Mrs. Smith. I love the spring colors”. “Mr. Jones, I appreciate your smile – it really lights up my day!”
Practice mindfulness – being centered and in the moment when you are with your care partner. When one is distracted or stressed, it shows! Deep breathing or meditation can and should become a part of every caregiver’s daily de-stress routine.
Pay attention to your body language and expression. Clenched teeth, rolling eyes, closed arms all tell another person you don’t want to be where you are.
Learn what music your care partner enjoys and throughout the day, play this music to set the tone for whatever the circumstances.
Take a 5 minute walk outside and enjoy nature – it calms the soul, reduces anxiety for both care partners, not to mention the healthy shot of Vitamin D!
Accept the moment and that no matter what positive things you do as a caregiver may not always be helpful that day. Tomorrow, however is a NEW day!

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate Training® Institute and a passionate advocate for changing how we care for older adults.

www.AGEucate.com

Compassionate Touch®, Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals

What’s all the Talk about Mindfulness for Caregivers?

July 28, 2017 Pam Brandon Leave a comment

Call it awareness, attention, focus, presence, or vigilance. It’s proving to be a powerful and effective practice in coping with stress. Caregiving can easily top the charts on stress, especially for caregivers of elders with chronic illness and dementia. Mindfulness for caregivers means learning to live in the moment, accept the reality of a situation, and filter out distractions.

Mindfulness is not necessarily about a constant state of meditation, or practicing yoga, although these are both proven tools in helping one to better cope with life’s challenges.

We can practice mindfulness by sharpening our focus. In our Compassionate Touch® training, we call this centering. For a caregiver it might be deep breathing or focused meditation before entering the room when an older adult is agitated, confused or combative. Learning to leave your other worries at the door will help to focus on how you can help the person you are caring for. You have, for that moment, stepped into their world. By being engrossed in that person and the present situation, there is a higher probability you will have a heightened sense of empathy and understanding, thus be able to tap into tools that will improve care.

By practicing mindfulness in caregiving, the benefits go far beyond improving care. The stress reduction benefits the caregiver as much or more than the care receiver. When this happens, everyone wins! Like anything else, mindfulness must be practiced. Nothing becomes second nature until it is put into regular use. If deep breathing exercises works, then practice this throughout the day. Journal the difference in how you are able to handle situations. If brief moments of meditation work, try these… but do it every day and many times a day.

Centering ourselves through mindfulness allows us to accept that we are most often not in control, which is often a huge challenge for care partners. We want so much to make our loved ones happy and healthy again, but this is sometimes not possible – certainly not all the time. In a world that is always on full speed, with soaring expectations, sometimes the most valuable gift we can give our loved one is this:

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute. Passionate about creating transformative change for older adults and those that care for them, Pam is honored to work in the field of caregiver education and training and lead the AGE-u-cate team who are changing lives with innovative programs for family and professional caregivers.

www.AGEucate.com

Compassionate Touch®, Dementia Live, Senior Care Professionals

Back to Basics in Dementia Care – Are We Making it too Complicated?

July 14, 2017 Pam Brandon Leave a comment

Hand with marker writing the word Back to Basics The number of older adults with dementia is forecast to more than double in the next 40 years. Training people to care for these individuals – both professionals and families is paramount in improving the quality of life for the caregiver as well as the care receiver. Is it time to get back to basics in our approach to education and training?

Attitudes, skills and knowledge of staff working with people who are living with dementia have the potential to influence the person’s well-being, quality of life and function. Training is often seen as the means by which changes in quality of care can be pursued, and there are an increasing number of opportunities for staff in dementia care to attend training courses to help improve competence in care. However, there is evidence in many fields that training alone is not sufficient to effect significant positive change.

Grounded in the philosophy of person-centered care is that each person is an individual with his/her own values, needs, family situations, spiritual beliefs and lifestyles. Being compassionate, thinking about things from another person’s perspective and being respectful are all basic qualities of person-centered core values. It is certainly not just about activities. Core personal values in communications, engagement and relationship building are back to basics skills that are:

Feasible: Uses existing resources, are easy for staff to learn and practically ensures sustainability

Is Effective: Eases physical and emotional distress, builds trust in caregivers and provides a holistic personalized approach

Encourages Family Engagement: Provides a means for family to support their loved ones and enhances the family, staff teamwork

Improves Staff Satisfaction: Empowers staff with meaningful tools, reduces fatigue and builds core competencies

Getting Back to Basics is the Simplest Means to Find Calm in the Chaos…

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute, whose Dementia Live™️ and Compassionate Touch® programs are transforming care across the US and abroad.