Rediscovering the Heart in Dementia Care: Prioritizing the Human Touch

Posted by Pam Brandon on Nov 23, 2023 10:54:04 AM

 

 

In the hustle of healthcare advancements, the essence of caregiving often gets overshadowed. Nowhere is this truer than in dementia care, where the personal and emotional aspects of caregiving are frequently sidelined by clinical approaches. Let's delve into why returning to the human side of dementia care is not just essential but transformative.

Read More

Topics: compassionate touch, Dementia Live®Training, AGE-u-cate Training Insitute, human connection, education and training

Elevating Human Connection: How Hospice Organizations Use Compassionate Touch to Build Community

Posted by Laura Ellen Christian on Nov 17, 2022 12:00:00 PM

Recently I had the pleasure of connecting with Alena Dailey,  Integrative Arts Manager for  Hospice of the Chesapeake while hosting AGE-u-cate's quarterly chat for Compassionate Touch® coaches.  Have you ever connected with someone and instantly felt a sense of comfort?  Like you've known this person forever, but you just met?  That's what it was like talking to Alena!  She's passionate about elevating quality of life for elders and creative in how to accomplish her mission.  Here's a simple yet powerful quote from Alena:

A lot of people forget patients still need human touch” 

Read More

Topics: compassionate touch, human connection, compassionate leadership, compassion culture

Spreading Joy by Making Wishes Come True

Posted by Julie Boggess on Oct 15, 2021 10:39:57 AM

AGE-u-cate® appreciates learning about organizations out there improving the lives of elders.  I had the pleasure to meet Jared Bloomfield, the National Field Manager with Wish of a Lifetime at AARP.  We connected after attending the Pioneer Network Symposium "Envisioning the Future Finding Meaning and Purpose" held on September 22. 

Wish of Lifetime, a charitable affiliate of the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), sponsored one of the sessions at the symposium called, " A New Look at Community Commitment: It’s All About Making Connections”.  I was captivated and inspired by the presenters in this session:  Mary Knapp, Annie Dunlap, and Kelly Klund who all shared the ways that their respective organizations are creating meaningful engagement opportunities for the elders they serve.  

Wish of a Lifetime's mission is to shift the way society views and values our oldest generations by fulfilling seniors’ dreams and sharing their stories to inspire those of all ages.  They are working hard to connect elders with amazing opportunities to fulfill a dream.  

Become a Wish Nominator

"Wish of a Lifetime" has a Wish Team that reviews nominations submitted via their website.  Jared shared that they have the capacity to accept more nominations!  It seems that the pandemic has hijacked time that aging services staff might otherwise spend submitting an application on behalf of an elder, but Jared assured me that submitting an application is easy and worth it!  A link to their website and nomination portal is below.

It has been said many times that the older generation has suffered the most from the effects of the pandemic because of the extended isolation and loneliness they have endured, so I jumped when I heard about this opportunity to share the call for nominations.  To inspire motivation- read this story: Joy Takes Art Lessons.

Everything has changed for Joy because of one wish.  Please visit Wish of a Lifetime Nomination to learn how you can submit an application today. Learn more about Wish of a Lifetime here. 

AGE-u-cate will be keeping an eye on the good work of "Wish of a Lifetime", because we share a mission to improve the quality of life for elders through our engaging life enrichment programs Compassionate Touch, Reading2Connect, Ageless Grace, and Flashback.  

AGE-u-cate   Programs Overview

 

 

 

Read More

Topics: life enrichment, human connection, quality of life

Gentle Leadership During Times of Trauma

Posted by Pam Brandon on Aug 23, 2021 1:52:06 PM

The delta COVID-19 variant seems to be ushering in an understandable second round of pandemic-induced anxiety.  Aging Services providers, and those that serve them, are still traumatized from the first go-around.  Enough time has not passed to allow for a psychological re-set to cope with a do-over.  So, what are we to do?

Read More

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, leadership, Compassion, Mental Health, health, human connection, perseverance

COVID Recovery: Rebuilding Human Connections

Posted by Julie Boggess on Dec 10, 2020 11:25:52 AM
We can restore human connection and relationships post-COVID by understanding the importance of re-awakening the senses through the simple act of touch.
Read More

Topics: The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, Elders, compassionate touch, caregiving, human connection, Covid recovery

Subscribe to Our Blog

Lists by Topic

see all

Posts by Topic

See all

Recent Posts