Tag Archives: AGE-u-cate Training Instite

Shifting Gears…What Might Happen if We Try Something New!

I have always been a proponent that if something is just not working well, shifting gears may be a solution.  Let’s face it – everything is changing fast these days, so much so that it seems as if technology  leads the pack in shifting gears at every juncture of our daily lives.

Shifting gears often is related to moving from one level of activity to another;  taking on a new course or direction that results in change.  And hopefully that change is positive.  

Elder care today is more and more becoming about caring for someone with dementia.  Why the shift?  Because we’re living longer and the reason so many more people are getting dementia is simply for that reason – as we age the probability of cognitive impairments increases.  So, if we shift gears in terms of thinking about elder care in terms of caring for someone with some level of cognitive impairment, could care for that person change… for the better?

Most certainly our focus as a nation and world is clearly focused on dementia care as the public health crisis of our generation.  Because of this, there has never before been such a concerted effort in shifting gears to new models of care, most often referred to as person-centered or patient-centered care.

Will shifting gears alone be the impetus for deep culture change?  Certainly those of us passionately advocating for vast changes in care for our older adults and those that serve them hope that enough of us will collectively make a difference.  By bringing the human side of caregiving to the forefront, rather than taking a secondary role to the medical model of care, change can certainly be deep and wide.

This shift in gears requires a shift in our thinking.  Taking a new course means taking risks, accepting that not every decision is going to be the right one, and that it is a continual process of trying new approaches until outcomes improve for everyone, especially those we are caring for.

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute.  AGE-u-cate develops and delivers aging and dementia education for professional and family caregivers that results in transformative change.  

www.AGEucate.com

 

The Beautiful Harmony of Caring and Compassion for Elders

We all like to think that have compassion for others don’t we?   After all, we give care, so we must have empathy.  Is there a difference between caring and true compassion?

Caring for another person is is an act of displaying kindness and concern for others.  It is the work or practice of looking after those unable to care for themselves, especially sick or elderly people.

Compassion is a form of emotional engagement that is beneficial to patient care.  Compassion involves the  sharing of feelings of another as a means of coming to an understanding and appreciation for how they feel.

Can we provide adequate care to someone else without being compassionate?  Unfortunately I believe our standards of care for elderly, disabled and sick individuals have focused on care without the importance of compassion, empathy and understanding.

If empathy involves emotional engagement with someone else, it also involves understanding their world.  We can care for someone by providing for needs but not necessarily moving into their world, walking in their shoes and sharing in their struggles, joys and challenges.

When compassion and caring merge, care partners build trust, form deeper and more meaningful relationships and go beyond physical needs to digging deeper in understanding and meeting emotional and spiritual needs.

Compassion training, especially for those caring for someone with dementia, chronic illness, pain and end-of-life can empower both care partners, families and communities in which they live.

Educating families and professionals in understanding and helping those they care for cope with their challenges starts with empathy, compassion and understanding for what that person is dealing with.  When a care giver gains empathy, their world merges with those they are caring for in new and wonderfully positive ways for both partners.

Take time to learn the art of compassion and mover from a caregiver to a compassionate caregiver.   Leaders, embrace compassion training for staff and families.  Everyone is better served with more compassionate caregivers.

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate® Training Institute and a passionate advocate for elders and those that serve them.  Pam is the creator of the Dementia Live™️ simulation program that helps caregivers increase understanding , compassion and empathy for those living with cognitive impairment.  

www.AGEucate.com

Increased Risks for Hospital Patients with Dementia

Medical Team Working On Patient In Emergency Room

About one fourth of older hospital patients have dementia.  These patients are at an outstandingly higher risk than other patients for:

  • Delirium
  • Falls
  • Dehydration
  • Poor Nutrition
  • Untreated Pain
  • Medication-related problems
  • Wandering
  • Agitated behavior

Because to the stress caused by acute illness and being in an unfamiliar setting, some older patients show signs of dementia for the first time in a hospital.

Delirium is a  disturbance in mental abilities that results in confused thinking and reduced awareness of your environment. The start of delirium is usually rapid — within hours or a few days.

Delirium can often be traced to one or more contributing factors, such as a severe or chronic medical illness, changes in metabolic balance (such as low sodium), medication, infection, surgery, or alcohol or drug withdrawal.

Dementia is the leading risk factor for delirium.  Patients with dementia are actually three to five times more likely than older adult patients to develop delirium in the hospital and two-thirds of delirium in hospitals occurs in patients with dementia.

These high risk adverse health events are rising at alarming rates as our aging population increases rapidly and hospitals are seeing more patients with dementia symptoms.

According to the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing and the Alzheimer’s Association, dementia should be considered a possibility in every hospital patient age 75 and over and can be present in younger patients as well.  People with dementia usually come into a hospital for treatment of their other medical conditions, although some come in because of complications of their dementia.  Of older people with dementia, 30% also have coronary artery disease; 28% congestive heart failure; 21% diabetes and 17% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Doctors at Lutheran Medical Center in Denver, who serve the biggest senior population in the metro area, have made changes to help their older patients avoid the delirium diagnosis if they have no choice but to go the hospital.

They’ve essentially taken their traditional 42,000-square-foot emergency room and cut it in half, leaving one side equipped as a traditional ER, and turning the other half into a “Senior ER.”

A big key is preventing the all-too-common side-effects of delirium. See a special ER for seniors, equipped with dozens of brilliant features, that speed comfort and care to this population.

http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/2017/05/emergency-room-paradise-heals-dementias.html

Bridging technology, smart design features, reduced noise and training staff to better communicate with patients and families, more hospitals will transition to dementia friendly healthcare communities.   The “frightening” hospital experience for the growing population living with dementia may just be a thing of the past in a few years.

www.AGEucate.com

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate Training Institute.   Their mission is developing and delivering cutting edge dementia education and training for health and long term care providers and others.  #DementiaLive #CompassionateTouch

 

 

 

Collaboration – Producing Creative Solutions in Senior Care

collaborationOur hyper competitive, profit driven business world often scoffs at the idea of collaboration.  I supposed I’m naive, but I want to think that those in senior care are more passionate and compassionate about working with others for the greater good.  I still believe this is true for most of us.  Working well with others almost always comes back to us ten fold.  This is true in life and business.

If there is any field that begs for creative problem solving it’s senior care.  We’re helping elders and families navigate rough seas.  More often than not, these circumstances don’t fit neatly in a box with easy solutions.  Instead there are complex decisions to be made at every juncture.. not just from families but from those who are serving this client base.

Collaboration is the action of working with someone to create or produce something.  If we look at the power of collaboration in creative problem solving, it only makes sense that those in this industry and those who service this industry need to be doing a whole lot more collaborating.

The geriatric population of the United States is growing rapidly, and the senior care industry is expanding to meet that increasing demand.

By U.S. Census Bureau estimates, there will be 83.7 million people over the age of 65 in the nation by the year 2050 – that is almost double the population of people that age in 2012. The ‘baby boomer’ generation began turning 65 in 2011. By 2050, any surviving baby boomers will be over the age of 85.

Many aspects of the senior care industry will likely advance and expand rapidly as the population continues to age.

The global elderly care services market was $629 billion in 2014, according to Grand View Research, with institutional care services accounting for about half that market. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1%, the global market will likely reach $1.2 billion by 2022; home health and personal care will likely experience tremendous growth during this period.

This phenomenal growth will most definitely open unlimited doors for those who see the need to better serve their customers by working well with others.   None of us can operate in a vacuum, and certainly not in an industry that will continue to evolve as new generations require different levels of care, workforce preparedness   will become increasingly paramount, and staff shortages across the spectrum will mean all of us must be prepared to connect and collaborate.

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate Training Institute.  Collaborating with an international network of Master Trainers in providing innovative training for front line care staff, families and clinicians, AGE-u-cate is transforming the landscape with experiential tools to improve care for those with dementia.  

www.AGEucate.com