AGE-u-cate Training Institute Blog

 

Patients with dementia form a fast-increasing proportion of those entering hospice care. Is your staff prepared to compassionately care for the unique needs of people living with dementia?

Topics: Hospice, Dementia Awareness

I saw a postcard once that read, "The last good thing that may happen in a person's life is a hospice volunteer".  For National Volunteer Month help me recognize these special caregivers who are called to the bedside.

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Training, Family, Volunteers, Hospice, support, volunteering, touch

Anticipatory grief refers to a grief reaction that occurs before an impending loss. Typically, the impending loss is a death of someone close due to illness but it can also be experienced by dying individuals themselves.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, caregivers, Faith Community, chronic illness, Hospice, death, Grief, Anticipatory grief

We all know that the only thing certain about our life is that someday it will end.  And yet death continues to be an elusive topic in most families and social circles.  Someone recently shared with me that she felt if she brought up the topic with her parents,  they might feel like she wanted to hurry things along.

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, leadership, Faith Community, families, End-of-life, Hospice, Faith, death, Palliative Care

With today’s emphasis on person centered care, communication skills are essential. Any senior care or hospice professional regularly interacts with people with communication challenges stemming from brain injury, stroke, hearing loss; Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease.

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Senior Care, empathy, Person centered care, Hospice, communication

Compassion fatigue impact

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Senior Care, Hospice, compassion fatigue

Words have power - handwriting on a napkin with cup of coffee

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, culture change, Caregiver, Hospice care, Hospice

Some think compassion is an attribute reserved for people like Mother Teresa. But compassion isn’t just reserved for those who travel a moral high ground.  Hospice care professionals cultivate compassion for when they are called to the bedside.

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Caregiver, Professional Caregiver, Hospice care, Hospice

How Losing A Pet Is Much Like Losing a Loved One

Our pets are like members of the family. Meet Sadie - our vivacious, furry family member pictured here at 3 months old. Labrador Retrievers at this age are a non-stop ball of energy. Leave a sock on the floor and it instantly becomes a pile of thread, or a new game of hide and seek. Strangers? I don't think Sadie ever knew that word existed. Water? That's meant for swimming.. endlessly.

Topics: The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, Senior Care, Hospice, Pets, grieving