AGE-u-cate Training Institute Blog

What exactly is the meaning of Life Enrichment?  

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, dementia care, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, memories, dementia, Hospital Professionals, activities, life enrichment, Person centered care, Joy, Flashback Reminiscence Training

Although persons living dementia may have challenges with eating, such as chewing, ability to taste or smell food, or remembering how to eat, the dining experience can have a tremendous effect on their socialization, how much they eat and if the time they spend eating is enjoyable or frustrating.    Improving the dining experience is certainly possible, whether in a community-based setting, a hospital in the home or even in a restaurant.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, Dementia Live, leadership, Hospital Professionals, Mealtime, Eating, Dining

Stress is simply a part of life.  Think about each and every stressor that affects our lives almost daily.  Here are just a few to think about:  traffic, annoying telemarketing calls (what telemarketing calls aren't annoying?), junk mail, the news, job demands, airline delays (let's just airports in general), and the list goes on.  Life is complicated, stressful and caregiving is even more so on just about every level.  So instead of talking about eliminating stressors, let's talk about how caregivers can put coping skills into practice so that falling into the traps of anxiety, depression and more is eliminated or decreased as much as possible.

Topics: The Faith Community, AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, Caregiver, caregivers, Dementia Live, Stress, older adults, Coping Skills

Caring for people with dementia requires specialized communication skills training.  Unfortunately, healthcare professionals and family caregivers often receive little training to enable them to meet the communicative needs of people with dementia.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, dementia, Family, caregivers, Dementia Live, Dementia Live®Training, Hospital Professionals, family caregivers, faith communities, professionals, older adults, health, communication, Social Workers, CNA, Certified Nurse Assistants, communication skills, Chaplains, Case Managers, Communication Skills Training

Although Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is largely misunderstood, it is the most common form of dementia for people under age 60.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, dementia, Care Partners, Dementia Live, Alzheimer's disease, Hospital Professionals, FTD, Frontotemporal Dementia, alzheimer's

Accounting for up to 20 percent of all forms of dementia, Lewy Body Dementia affects approximately 1.4 million Americans.  Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) is the second most common cause of progressive dementia behind Alzheimer's disease.  LBD is also the most misdiagnosed form of dementia because symptoms are closely related to Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy Body (referred to as DLB).

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, Care Partners, caregivers, Dementia Live, Alzheimer's disease, Hospital Professionals, Lewy Body Dementia, LBD

No longer is dementia a looming public health threat.  It is a global crisis affecting healthcare systems, delivery of long-term care, worker shortages, community infrastructure, families and most importantly, the quality of life for persons living with dementia.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, dementia, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, Hospital Professionals, Public health crisis, Community, families, long term care, understanding, health, Global Initiatives

"Touching as a therapeutic event is not as simple as a mechanical procedure or a drug, because is, above all, an act of communication...the use of touch and physical closeness may be the most important way to communicate to acutely ill (and aged) persons that they are important as human beings..." - Ashley Montagu

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, dementia care, Senior Care Professionals, Memory Care, compassionate touch, Hospital Professionals, Psychotropic drugs, Ground Breaking

It's hard to believe that I've not had my dad in my life for over 20 years now.  So much of who I am and what I've taught to my children came from my dad.  So, it's appropriate that this blog be a tribute to my dad this Father's Day.

Topics: The Faith Community, AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Memory Care, Family Caregiver, dementia, Family, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, Alzheimer's disease, Community, children, alzheimer's, Father's Day

I thought this intriguing blog post title would spark some interest, as I'm writing this while on a European trip that will be concluding in Amsterdam.  Samen Dementievriendelijk is the Netherland's Dementia Delta Plan, which aims to create dementia-friendly communities by teaching people to recognize and help people living with dementia.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, dementia, Dementia Live, Hospital Professionals, dementia friendly, Dutch, Samen Dementievriendelijk, Netherlands, Dementiadelta Plan