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Activities for People With Dementia
by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA 
One of the most challenging aspects of supporting someone who is living with a dementing illness is to develop daily routines and activities that are interesting, meaningful, do-able, and valued by the person who is experiencing so many changes due to the condition. Helping to ensure there are a mix of activities to meet social, physical, mental, and spiritual needs for another human being is a complex and ever-changing task. As the disease progresses, changes will repeatedly need to be made based on changing abilities and skills, while retaining the characteristics of the activities that make them meaningful to the person. Families and communities must work together to successfully create options and programs that work to make moments count and fill the day.
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Do you work for a senior living community?
How would you rate your staff's ability to support the residents in their care?
Book a One Day Skills
Awareness Workshop
Take the first step toward enhancing your team's awareness and knowledge of dementia, while improving their understanding of specific techniques and hands-on skills that improve quality of life for people living with dementia.
Onsite training sessions are led by qualified and dynamic PAC Skills Trainers.
Objectives:
- Compare and contrast cues that people living with dementia provide to others, indicating the most common unmet needs that lead to distress or challenging behaviors
- Practice four assistive techniques for various levels of cognitive impairment, emphasizing use of preserved abilities
- Identify the value of consistent positive reinforcement and proactive interventions to promote well-being and reduce challenging situations
- Using GEMS®, recognize the value of noticing the functional ability of the person living with dementia and supportive responses that match.
Fee = $2,500 + travel for two PAC Skills Trainers
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Moments On the Fly
by Greg Phelps, PAC Certified Independent Trainer and Engagement Leader
Leisure, Productive, Self-care and Wellness - Restorative. What the heck is all this? My eyes grew a little wider. Introvert, extrovert - watchers, doers, talkers. What the heck have I gotten myself into? I thought all I had to do was gather guys up and head to the cafeteria for a piece of pie. And make mine lemon meringue. Yet here I was, signed up for my Engagement Leader Certification.
Welcome to Greg's world. My mother in law is a person living with dementia in a nearby facility. Being semi-retired, I was able to visit almost daily. It started innocently enough: helping serve the snacks and coffee, then engaging and spending time with other residents; all this while my wife was traveling the countryside with some "teapot" or something like that. Then the big ask: "How would you like to do a men's group on the Transitional Care Unit"? Pie and coffee! Sweet! I'm in!
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Healthy Physical Activity
by Rosanne Burke, PAC Certified Independent Trainer
Let's get moving! Have you heard the expression: What is good for your heart is good for your brain? It's true!
If you are a person who has always enjoyed physical activity and are now caring for someone with dementia, do your best to continue your routine, whether it is going for a daily walk or enjoying a dance class at your local fitness center. Ask a friend or relative to stay with your loved one, if necessary, so that you can get out and continue to enjoy the activities that will help you to stay healthy. Taking care of yourself as well as your loved one at this stage is critical.
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Making and Planning Legal Decisions about Dementia
How many times have you or your spouse said (about Mom or Dad or an adult family member with "issues") that a lawyer should be consulted? Be honest. Yet it does not get done. It gets moved to another day and on a lower priority by the day-to-day demands on our attentions. Have you ever said to yourself: "self, I have to do such and such" i.e. An important errand or financial matter and then I have promptly forgotten it....? And then later you thought to yourself that such forgetfulness and confusion might be more than just a "ha ha" moment? That maybe there is something more to it. But it will pass and I can talk to the doctor when I see her next. (We know that doesn't happen either.) Or maybe it is just about protecting your spouse or partner. I.e. what systems are in place to take over in the event of my possible decline in mental health in the future?
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Three Tips to Help You Use Music in
Alzheimer's and Dementia Care
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Become a PAC Certified
Independent Professional
Upcoming Events
Adrian, MI (Detroit)
Burlington, MA (Boston)
San Diego, CA
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The Dementia Action Alliance
Is Hosting the
Re-Imagine Life with Dementia
Annual Conference
June 25-27, 2017 in Atlanta
Click on the image below to download the flier
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The Right Support Counts
A Response to Every Minute Counts, a documentary
by Linn Possell, PAC Lead Mentor
When we think about dementia and its impact on those affected by it, the scope is all-encompassing. This was demonstrated in the documentary Every Minute Counts. Everyone is affected by dementia, whether we are living with personal brain change, loving or caring for someone with brain change, providing dementia training and education, or advocating for quality of life and research for a cure. If you are not personally involved in one of these ways that dementia affects our lives, you will be affected by the social stigma that says someone's life is less than if you are living with dementia. Because when we think of someone's life as less than ours, we all suffer. When we focus on loss rather than life, we all lose. Brain change can have a very big impact on our life, and so can hope. The question is, what do we hope for and where do we choose to place our energy? We believe that "Until there's a cure, there's care." Positive Approach® to Care focuses on giving a voice to people living with dementia and their care partners, providing quality education and skills training, and helping communities work on being able to promote life.
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Upcoming Events
April 5, 2017
Educational Day
Sioux City, IA
April 6, 2017
Educational Day
Cedar Falls, IA
April 14, 2017
Educational Day
Lacey, WA
April 22, 2017
NICHE Conference
Austin, TX
April 27, 2017
Educational Conference
Tyler, TX
April 28, 2017
Educational Day
Lincoln, NE
May 1, 2017
Educational Day
Ingersoll, ON
May 3, 2017
2017 Spring Conference Leading Age Wisconsin
Appleton, WI
May 10, 2017
Educational Day
Cassopolis, MI
May 11, 2017
Educational Day
Oklahoma City, OK
May 24, 2017
Educational Day
Elizabeth City, NC
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Book your event today for staff training, family nights, professional referral source events, or refresher workshops
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PAC Training increases awareness, knowledge, and confidence among care staff and educates resident families.
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Check out these great tools from the Care Store!
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Be Brave Enough To Start A Conversation That Matters
CLICK HERE
To Learn More
About
Caring
Conversations
and the
Caring Conversations Tool Kit
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Positive Approach to Care now offers
TWO New Webinar Series!
Learn with Teepa Snow from the comfort of your own home or office.
Participate in the LIVE events or view the recordings through our online streaming portal.
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