Tag: Alzheimer’s disease Pennsylvania

An Easter basket or activity box for someone living with dementia

We often think to put Easter baskets together for children.  It can be exciting to hunt for eggs or to find a basket full of sweets.  Children sift through the contents, sorting out favorite candies and toys.  If you are lucky, they will clean up the plastic grass afterwards.

We can similarly engage older adults living with dementia, of any religious affiliation.  As dementia progresses, certain senses are heightened.  One of these is touch.  During the “Amber” stage, those living with dementia have a tendency to touch surfaces.  As eyesight and gait (walking ability) worsen, touching surfaces help orient the person.

Touch can also be reassuring.  Holding their hand or feeling different textures can be a way to communicate as their traditional conversational skills worsen.

Consider putting together an activity box, or Easter basket, if applicable.  Remember, this should be a fun activity so do not worry if the end result is not as imagined.  You might even want to consider some music in the background.

The search can be limited to your own home.  Find objects of varying sizes, textures, densities, and colors.  Once you gather these all, ensure that none have sharp edges and are large enough not to be swallowed.  Layer them into a basket or box.

Bring the basket or box to your loved one.  Get them started by finding the first or second object.

Simple activities such as these add meaning to the lives of older adults living with dementia.  They may remind them of Easter as a child, or simply serve as a task to make them feel loved and needed.  Never underestimate how feeling loved and needed can improve their quality of life.

Some of the ideas behind the activity box were found from Crossroads Hospice.  The suggestions about tactile simulation and the Amber stage of dementia can be learned about here.

 

Personalizing care techniques can reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

The most effective care begins with forming a connection, which includes meeting clients where they are in the disease process.

2 Personalizing care techniques can reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

The Tailored Activities Program (“TAP”) aims to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (“BPSD”). This is often what we struggle with as family members and caregivers. How do we engage the person with just enough activity to make them feel loved and needed?

Unchecked challenging behaviors can lead to increased healthcare costs, caregiver burden, and care recipient placement into facilities. There the person living with dementia usually faces pharmacological intervention, which may exacerbate these challenging behaviors or worse.

An Australian trial randomized 180 participants living with dementia by placing them into two groups. One group received 8 home care visits using the training from TAP to train the caregiver and engage with the person living with dementia. The control group received three phone calls with the caregiver about basic dementia related materials from a book, and did not involve the care recipient. Follow up continued four and eight months after the home care visits and phone calls.

The trial was done with individuals living at home or with relatives, outside of formal care facilities.

The results of the TAP pilot trial:

The TAP pilot trial showed overall reductions of incidences of challenging behaviors or BPSD. There were also reductions in other specific behavioral categories as defined by the study:

BPSD overall: F(1,41) = 7.58, p = 0.009, Cohen’s d = 0.72,

Shadowing: F(1,4) = 58.9, p = 0.003, Cohen’s d = 3.10, agitation, Wald X2(1) = 6.0, p = 0.014, Cohen’s d = 0.75

Repetitive Questioning: F(1,22) = 5.94, p = 0.023, Cohen’s d = 1.22

Argumentation: Wald X2(1) = 6.6, p = 0.010, Cohen’s d = 0.77 ()

To read more about the study, click here.

In many ways, TAP is like the Positive Physical Approach to Care as pioneered by Teepa Snow. NursePartners has embraced this methodology since the inception of our GEM division in 2015. It builds on the intuitive notion to engage with people living with dementia according to their life experiences and interests. By appealing to their sense of self-worth, we can prevent or mitigate some of the most challenging behaviors.

NursePartners trains all carepartners in the GEM methodology as perfected by Teepa Snow.

All carepartners are trained to engage with clients, focusing on what they still can do and letting go of what they cannot. Even at the most advanced stage of dementia, you can find new ways to say hello and make the person feel valued and with purpose.

To learn more about how we can engage your loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, or another form of dementia, call us at 610-323-9800.

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How do you know it’s time to start home care services?

The holidays are coming!  Sometimes with our own busy lives, time passes between each visit to our parents and other older relatives.  At a certain point, home care services can best support them, regardless of if they live at home or in a community.

When is it time to begin home care services?  It is important to remember that home care services can increase gradually.  NursePartners believes a minimum of three, four-hour assignments per week is the best way to start.  This allows the carepartner team time to establish a relationship with your loved one. All carepartners are trained to connect first.  A developed relationship is crucial for providing optimum care.

NursePartners also supports clients 24/7 in their homes, assisted living communities, and nursing homes.

But how do you know it is time to begin services?  When we notice some of the following signs, it may indicate that it is time to start.  Remember, NursePartners provides a health and wellness assessment at no cost before the initiation of services.

We welcome you to take this 20-question quiz to determine if it is time for home care services.  If you score a 25% or higher, it is probably time to schedule a no cost assessment.  All answers are confidential and will not be used for marketing purposes.

If you are still in doubt, give us a call at 610-323-9800.  All calls are answered by a real member of our administrative team.  We do not close at 5pm or on holidays.  NursePartners is a privately-owned company, founded and operated by a registered nurse and certified dementia practitioner.  We have been serving older adults in the Philadelphia area since 2002.

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The GEMS™ brain change model

NursePartners embraces the GEMS™ brain change model developed by Teepa Snow.  Unlike other scales, such as the Global Deterioration Scale or the Dementia Severity Rating Scale, the GEMS focuses on creating constructive opportunities to engage with the person living with dementia.  Clients are still seen as people, rather than former individuals lost to the disease.

The GEMS allows us to adapt our care approaches to connect with the person in their moment.  We acknowledge what is lost, but use other senses to build meaningful relationships with our clients.

Services begin with a comprehensive assessment that goes beyond the clinical needs.  We want to know as much as possible about our clients’ preferences and personal histories.  This will allow us to connect from day one, building a durable and trusting relationship.   NursePartners changes the plans of care as we learn new information about each client.

All carepartners attend an initial orientation where they actively participate in a dementia workshop.  Carepartners learn the positive physical approach to care and contribute to a dialogue about the disease.  Dementia coaches then stimulate real life scenarios, filming each carepartner as they approach the hypothetical client.  Carepartners watch themselves as they approach clients, recognizing their strengths and acknowledge an area for improvement.  Scenarios are repeated until carepartners feel confident in the learned approaches.

Carepartners then complete a proprietary training module and final assessment, ensuring that they have understood the training.  At this point, they are ready to be assigned to a client living with dementia.  NursePartners admin will then assess if a client and carepartner would be a good match based on their personalities, interests, and general disposition.

All families are given a description of the GEMS model.  We want them to also connect with their loved one, continuing their relationships.  We help families understand that care techniques must adapt as a person progresses through the disease.  Here is a good summary of the six GEM levels.

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Want to learn more about how we can help your loved one living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia?  Call us today at 610-323-9800.