AGE-u-cate Training Institute Blog

Topics: Care Partners, Direct Care Workforce Training, Caregiver Tools, Communication Skills Training

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, Elders, Care Partners, Aging Service Provider, CARES Act, Social isolation, older adults, support, Loneliness, Area Agencies on Aging

On the brink of a new decade, I contemplate what the next ten years will look like for the aging services industry. Reflecting on the past provides me some hope for the future. In some respects, we have come a long way.  By the same token, we should maintain a future focus and continue to develop more strategies that support the quality of living of frail elders.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, aging services, dementia, Care Partners, caregivers, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, Dementia Live®Training, aging, understanding

I am humbled and honored to work with such amazing and talented people.  As a trainer, I believe we learn as much from those we are training as they learn from us.  We are all practicing when it comes to dementia care.  Every day is a new day and no matter where we fit into the spectrum, we all need each other to learn and grow.  Let's talk about person-centered care practices.

Topics: Person-centered, Senior Care Professionals, Training, dementia, Care Partners, activities, Person centered care

Stress Reaction is a term being used more often to describe communication in persons living with dementia.  Behavioral expression, too, is communication.  In a growing number of circles, the term behavioral expression is being replaced by stress reaction simply because behaviors sometimes leans toward being a negative descriptive of how persons with dementia express unmet needs.

Topics: dementia care, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, Care Partners, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, leadership, Hospital Professionals, Stress, AGE-u-cate Training, Behavioral Expression, communication

Research confirms that by the age of 40, almost 100% of persons with Down syndrome who die have changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD).  Understanding this link and the challenges of a diagnosis of AD in persons with Down syndrome is important for families and healthcare professionals.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, Training, Family, Care Partners, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, leadership, Alzheimer's disease, Hospital Professionals, families, Downs Syndrome

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

I'm honored to be part of the exciting Dementia Friendly Fort Worth initiative.  Not only are we the first major city in Texas to undertake this effort, but one of the largest cities in the United States.  We are part of Dementia Friendly America (DFA), which is a multi-sector collaborative on a mission to foster "dementia friendly" communities across the nation.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, Care Partners, Dementia Live®Training, leadership, dementia friendly, Faith Community, Dementia Friendly America, Community, Dementia Friendly Fort Worth

I was privileged to speak yesterday to the Dallas Area Parkinson's Society (DAPS)  about how care partners can embrace wellness and joy.  For persons living with Parkinson's Disease and other neurological conditions, finding wellness and joy in everyday life can be challenging and elusive at best.  I know this first-hand, as my mother lived with Parkinson's Disease (PD).  Speaking from experience as her partner in this journey, my words of wisdom for embracing wellness and joy encompassed some simple steps.

Topics: The Faith Community, AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, Care Partners, compassionate touch, Parkinson's Disease, wellness, Joy