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Welcome to the Alzheimer's Resource Center
Knowledge Sharing Community.
 Documents Transforming the Future of Dementia Care 2009  Articles/Links Transforming the Future of Dementia Care 2009| » 2009 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures |
Education and Training  Discussions MiscellaneousResources for Individuals with Early Memory Loss
| From Erica DeFrancesco, on December 30th, 2009 at 11:50:14 AM |
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More often than not, when a person is given the initial diagnosis of dementia, that person may have experienced memory loss for years prior to that diagnosis. It is not uncommon for individual with early memory loss to dismiss their forgetfulness or to mask their memory loss in hopes that it will go unrecognized. If they do seek resources, they often find that there is a gap in services offered for individuals with EML.
If you were working with a client struggling with his memory, your options might be to refer him to a local senior center or an existing adult day program. Unfortunately, neither of those choices are desirable to the person with EML. At your organization, you may have had individuals with early memory loss decline to attend your adult day program because they felt like outliers.
The Alzheimer’s Resource Center is excited to launch the new MindFULL Café, an early memory loss program which will begin to narrow the gap in services for individuals with EML, which will begin in January 2010. It is imperative that we capitalize on our creativity to expand services that can be offered to this unique population. An especially powerful and creative program based out of Rochester, Minnesota, is called HABIT (Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking); it is a 10-day intensive outpatient program for people with mild cognitive impairment and their care partners (http://www.mayoclinic.org/psychiatry-rst/memory-training.html). What other innovative resources are you aware of for individuals with EML?
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Education and TrainingEmpathy for family members
| From Kelly Papa, on October 23rd, 2009 at 11:00:07 AM |
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As many of us do, I have both a personal and a professional connection to Alzheimer’s disease. Professionally, as a Nurse and as an Educator, I teach professional care givers about dementia care: the details of the disease process, how to approach residents who have confusion, how to prevent combative behaviors, how to help the person find joy filled moments, clinical issues, and most importantly, how to promote person centered care.
Personally, I lost my Grandmother to Alzheimer’s Disease. I watched my Grandmother progressively forget, fail, die. I believe that Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the worse diseases a person could get! It takes away so much: your memories, your family, your functioning.
I was in nursing school when I learned that my Grandmother had Alzheimer’s Disease. Prior to the diagnosis we knew something was wrong, but we were not sure of exactly what. My Grandfather cared for her in their home and my father was always close by when he was needed. I watched my family try so hard to care for her needs and keep her safe. Alzheimer’s disease was a foreign land to us. We had no personal experience with the disease process or knowledge as to what the future held for my Grandma. Eventually she moved into a nursing home for skilled nursing care. I vividly recall the daily stress my family suffered due to the “unknowns” of the disease. We worried about leaving her at the nursing home and reassured my Grandfather that she was safe and well cared for. He was heartbroken that she was there, and not at home. I will forever remember feeling so sad for my Grandfather. He died days after my Grandmother did. My family believes it was from a broken heart.
Alzheimer’s disease affects so many people in different ways. An entire family is affected and suffers, while watching their loved one slip away. This is why it is so valuable that we learn as much as we can about how to promote dignity for people who are faced with so many uncertainties as they suffer through the journey of this disease. As a granddaughter I was touched by this situation very differently from my father, grandfather and everyone who loved Grandma. In what ways do you think the different perspectives can impact care? How as professionals do we use our personal experiences to develop our empathy for the lived experiences?
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| S.A.F.E. Responses in Crisis Situations™
| From Kelly Papa, on December 17th, 2009 at 11:33:11 AM |
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For the person with dementia, reasoning and language are limited and communication often becomes behavioral. Individuals with dementia may behave in challenging ways, attempting to fulfill their unmet needs. S.A.F.E. Response Techniques in Crisis Situations™ offers caregivers strategies to reduce anxiety and agitation and how to respond safely to combative or aggressive physical behaviors.
The core of the S.A.F.E. Response Techniques in Crisis Situations™ techniques recognizes that there are many reasons why an individual may become distressed but only a few ways to express distress. For example, if a person with dementia is experiencing pain you may see them show signs of their distress by through a variety of nonverbal cues such as their facial expression, moaning or an aggressive event. If a person with cognitive impairment becomes overwhelmed or frightened they may show their distress by a combative behavior such as grabbing or shaking a person who gets close to them. Professional staff, such as nursing assistants, become at risk for physical injuries when these event occur if they are not given the knowledge they need to know how to keep themselves and the person with dementia safe in times of distress.
By using best practice communication and approach techniques you can prevent aggressive incidents and injuries. It is essential that staff are trained to know how to prevent aggressive outburst and what to do if, despite using a correct approach, a resident grabs, punches, bites or chokes. The program, S.A.F.E. Response Techniques in Crisis Situations™, teaches staff in all departments techniques to keep themselves as well as their residents safe and calm. This program also teaches staff members to react with knowledge not fear when a crisis situation does occurs.
Here are some valuable tips on what you can do to prevent or relieve anxiety, fear and aggression:
• Use communication techniques such as validation, speaking slowly and leaving time to respond
• Approach the person from the front so they can see you, offer your hand, stand to their side to respect personal space
• Understand their likes, dislikes and routines
• Watch for non-verbal cues
• Assess. Ask yourself these questions, using the acronym B.O.L.T. to help you remember:
• B-do they need to use the Bathroom?
• O-are their Oral needs being met
• L-are they lonely or frightened?
• T-are they tired or in pain?
• Person Centered Programs
• Avoid empty hand syndrome
• Determine: What is the person trying to tell you?
• Environment
• Leave the room for 5 minutes
• Redirect attention
• Identify the trigger
• Share the behavior with the care plan team
What other tips do you practice? Have you developed a communication technique or approach that helps a person who is experiencing distress?
For more information on strategies to reduce anxiety and agitation and how to respond safely to a combative or aggressive physical behaviors contact us to learn about opportunities to practice the S.A.F.E. Response Techniques in Crisis Situations™.
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