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Actively Addressing Challenges in Personal Mobility
by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA
April was Occupational Therapy
and Parkinsons
Awareness Month. Part of developing Parkinsons is having difficulty with movements and ability to do what you have always done well. But there is much more to it than just walking. Additionally, the early warning signs include many that may actually indicate the possibility of Lewy Body dementia rather than a Parkinsons condition. View the list that the National Parkinsons Foundation provides on their website.
Parkinsons and Lewy Body can both involve episodes of rigidity or immobility, tremors, inability to begin an action or movement, a slowing of movements, difficulty coordinating fine-motor/skilled actions, changing in writing or typing skills, sleep problems, syncopal episodes (fainting or dizziness), constipation, loss of smell, changes in facial mobility and mouth skill, changing posture and gait when walking and getting up or down.
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I'm Not "Just the Guy in Room 225"
by Dawn Wiggins RPN, CEO
New Dementians
With Positive Approach
to Care,
we are taught that making
a connection and having a relationship is first and foremost. How else are we going to do this if we don't get to truly know the person that we are caring for?
A very popular way of collecting a complete history is the All About Me Booklets or questionnaire designed by PAC to gather a comprehensive history. Some people take this info and put it into story boards or other different unique ways of sharing with the caregivers, family members, and visitors to brighten the way we learn who this person really is, using pictures and adding some quotes or a few words.
I quite enjoy looking through the scrapbooks, storyboards, and the other really creative ways people have used to portray the life of the person living with dementia (PLWD).
I connect to people by getting to know them and sharing music together and I found that doing a video of their life's story made a huge impact on how the care partners felt about the person before they even came to live with us.
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Are You Alone?
10 Tips To Help Ward Off Loneliness
by Rosanne Burke, PAC Certified Independent Trainer
We all know people who live alone. They may be single or recently widowed. Some people thrive on their own while others experience profound feelings of loneliness. In addition, there are people who are married, caring for others, or living with dementia who may not be alone but feel lonely.
What exactly is loneliness? According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of lonely is solitary, companionless, isolated; unfrequented. Why do some people experience loneliness while others do not? The answer is no doubt complex but we can assume that it's at least partly due to spending great amounts of time alone and without company. Personality also comes into play with how you feel about being alone and whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. An introvert is a person who needs time alone to recharge their battery while an extrovert gains energy from being around others. An introvert is more likely to enjoy longer periods of time alone than an extrovert.
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Meditation
by Linn Possell, Lead PAC Mentor
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Feeding the Spirit..
One Paw at a Time!
by Erin Carlucci, RN, CPT, CDP
My son Chase suffered a brain tumor which not only caused decline to his fine and gross motor skills, but speech and vision as well. For days after his surgery we tried to have Chase look at us but he could only look to one side. While lost in thought and losing faith I could hear the sound of heavy panting mixed with tap shoes walking toward us. I turned to see what the mystery sound was and I was greeted by a beautiful golden retriever. His tail wagged as if to wave the white flag in surrender.
His owner explained that he was a therapy dog and asked if "Sarge" could say hello to my baby boy. "Of course" I said while wiping the tears from my eyes, "Of course." Sarge jumped onto Chase's bed as if to say, "I am here boy, you must play with me now!" Chase did not look so Sarge gently laid alongside Chase. I took Chase's hand and rubbed it onto Sarge's head; Sarge moaned empathetically. Chase began to move his head as Sarge crawled toward his face. Sarge then licked his face and Chase looked at him and smiled. My son was engaged. These two beautiful creatures from God connected and without words.
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Continue to Live with Joy
Caring for Pets While Living with Dementia
by Dan Bulgarelli, PAC Speaker
When I look back on my life and think about the things that have brought me joy, the list is long and varied. Championships won by my favorite teams, getting the new toy I really wanted - whether that was a game as a kid or a car as an adult - seeing snowcapped mountains for the first time, and so many other wonderful things. All of those experiences I mentioned were wonderful, yet in many ways they were fleeting. My teams certainly didn't win championships every year, the toy/car became outdated and boring within a few months, and the pictures of those snowcapped mountains are beautiful, but nothing is quite the same as being there, is it? The one type of joy I can focus on that isn't fleeting is the relationships I have with my family, my friends, and my dogs.
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Dreaded Depends Day
by Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly, PAC Certified Independent Consultant and Coach
I have never been a puzzle person. The extrovert in me has issues when it comes to sitting down, looking at all of the pieces, being quiet and focusing long enough to patiently put the pieces together. Seeing a thousand puzzle pieces spread out on a table normally would freak me out. At least it once did. Those were the days before I was introduced to Teepa's teachings - Positive Approach to Care and the Six Pieces of the Puzzle.
The Six Pieces of the Puzzle has to be one of the first "a-ha!" moments I've experienced through Teepa's teachings. Following my first certification class, I have to admit I left with a brain that was begging for its own little respite. So much knowledge and too little time in one day to process it all. That extrovert kicked in, and I was upset I could not process those six pieces. Actually, I felt stupid. I had worked in dementia care for more than ten years, so how come it was so hard? I can tell you, I was reading it.
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Technical School Wins State Gold on the topic of Alzheimer's Disease
by Bing
Boettner, RN, BSN
PAC Certified Independent Trainer
A team of three health science students - aylor Adwell, Brianna Davenport, and Caleb Liles - from the Northwest Technical School in Maryville, MO took home first-place at the Missouri state SkillsUSA competition at the State Technical College of Missouri in LINN, MO on Friday, April 8th, 2017.
SkillsUSA
is a career technical student organization.
The competition gave the students a chance to showcase what they've learned about dementia from their teacher, and PAC Certified Independent Trainer, Ms. Bing Boettner, RN, BSN. The team showcased their skills to industry representatives hosting the competition, Gov. Eric Greitens, and over 400 of their peers.
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PAC Skills Make the Difference
This powerful DVD focuses on care partnering techniques and skills that create positive outcomes for both the care partner and the person living with dementia. Watch Teepa demonstrate Positive Physical Approach and Hand-under-Hand. Learn to use these care partnering techniques to help with activities of daily living.
In-Home Dementia Care: Tips & Techniques with Teepa Snow
Caring for your loved one living with dementia in the home setting can create challenges those on the outside can only imagine. Learn how to create calming surroundings to reduce the risk of sundowning and other distressing behaviors. Get introduced to Teepa's "Six Pieces of the Puzzle" and "GEMS®" methods to discover your loved one's retained skills and interests, thereby creating a positive and more fulfilling care environment for both of you.
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How do you fill the day with meaning for those living with dementia?
Do you want to learn how to engage different personalities, skills, and levels of dementia?
PAC Certified Independent Engagement Leaders are trained to provide opportunities in Activities, Adult Day Service Programs, and Dementia Care and Residential Settings
December 11-12, 2017
Phoenix, AZ
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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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Upcoming Events
June 1, 2017
Family Event Night
Truro, NS
June 2, 2017
Education Day
Truro, NS
June 13, 2017
Educational Conference
Cheyenne, WY
June 15, 2017
Educational Day
Salem, OR
June 22, 2017
Educational Day
Redmond, OR
June 22, 2017
Dementia Identification and Intervention for Law Enforcement/EMS
Redmond, OR
June 25, 2017
2017 North American Dementia Conference
Atlanta, GA
June 26, 2017
Educational Day
Birmingham, AL
July 4, 2017
Educational Days
Yarmouth, NS
July 4, 2017
Family Event
Yarmouth, NS
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Book your event today for staff training, family nights, professional referral source events, or refresher workshops
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Getting Connected Series
Understanding Different Dementias
&
Building Skills to Support GEMS
Unable to attend the
live webinar events?
Access the recordings
on our
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PAC Training increases awareness, knowledge, and confidence among care staff and educates resident families.
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Spirituality and Dementia
or
In this video, Teepa Snow and Reverend Linn Possell help you understand how to better meet the spiritual needs of a person living with dementia. Learn how to help friends and family members manage feelings of guilt, sadness, grief, and stay connected to their communities of faith.
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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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Becoming Dementia Aware
Would you like to learn how to begin changing your approach and interactions to better serve those living with dementia?
Learn from the comfort of your own home! Sign up today to experience Becoming Dementia Aware. In this three hour online course, Teepa takes you through the areas of the brain affected by dementia and introduces skills and strategies for better ways to care.
The course is broken down into nine sections and includes the following topics: Diving Deeper into Dementia, Better Ways to Care, Seeing and Responding to the Changes, Greet Before You Treat, Positive Physical Approach (PPA), Skills In Depth, After PPA, Caring for All, and Content Review
Whether you're a professional or family care partner, this content will help you begin to change your approach with people living with dementia.
Enrollment Fee: $100
After completing the course, you have the option of signing up for remote/virtual coaching with a PAC Mentor to help reinforce the newly learned content and practice Positive Physical Approach™ and Hand-under-Hand®.
Mentoring Fee: $65/hour
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