Delirium is an acute disorder of attention and global cognition, including perception and memory, and is treatable. Learning the differences between delirium and dementia is important for professional and family caregivers, as the diagnosis is missed in more than 50% of the cases.
Topics: healthcare, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, Hospital Professionals, family caregivers, professionals, families, AGE-u-cate Training Insitute, older adults, delirium, hospital
We are honored to be a part of the National Pioneer Network Conference kicking off today in beautiful Denver, Colorado. Ushering in a New Culture of Change promises to be an enlightening and invigorating educational and networking event for participants and those serving the elder care industry. AGE-u-cate® Training Institute will be offering it's internationally acclaimed Dementia Live® Experience and Compassionate Touch® Program to innovators
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, aging services, Elders, culture change, Aging in the Workplace, dementia, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, Hospital Professionals, Pioneer Network, elder care, long term care, Work
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
Dear, Honey, Hun, Sweetie, Buddy, Chief, That’s a good boy, Let's go potty now. No, I am not talking to my 18-month-old, I am repeating terms of endearment and phrases I hear in memory care and assisted living every day. There is so much research behind the use of this type of language researchers refer to it as elderspeak. I know I am guilty of using terms like these and I know you are too but explore the impact it may be having on our residents.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, dementia care, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, Senior Care, dementia, Caregiver, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, leadership, Hospital Professionals, eldercare
Challenging behavior is a catch-all term that, in the context of dementia, includes one or combinations of things like shouting, wandering, biting, throwing things, repetitive talking repetitive movements, destroying personal possessions and other objects without regard for whom it belongs, agitation and general anger, physical or verbal attacks on others, waking others at night, making sexually inappropriate comments, disrobing inappropriately, and urinating or defecating in undesirable locations. This is not an all-inclusive list and I am sure you can think of many more examples that fit under the umbrella term of challenging behavior.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, dementia, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, Hospital Professionals, behaviors, Person centered care, Behavioral Expression, staff, Challenging Behaviors
There is an urgent need to equip caregivers to better respond to and care for persons living with dementia. Traditional training models have focused on the number of classroom hours an individual must spend in training, assuming that a person who completes the required training hours is ready to work successfully with people living with dementia. The shift to competency-based training improves dementia care by focusing on mastery of tasks and tools that are learned.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, dementia care, Senior Care Professionals, care staff, dementia, caregivers, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, leadership, Hospital Professionals, dementia training, staff
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
What is a harder conversation topic with elderly parents - money or death? If you guessed death, you get a gold star. Why do we find it so very difficult to discuss the inevitable? Surely we've all come to grips with the fact there is one thing certain about life and that is death. We can embrace the ending by learning to embrace the life that we still have with our loved ones until the times comes when they are no longer with us.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, memories, caregivers, compassionate touch, Faith Community, Compassion, families, End-of-life, death
