Imagine a nursing home environment in which staff come to know and interact with residents as individuals, rather than by their room number or medical condition. Imagine a nursing home in which nursing routines, social services, activity programs, meal menus and daily routines are based on residents’ needs, interests, customary routines and personal preference, rather than on staff convenience or institutional systems.
Now, create this reality by embracing Person Directed Care! This model of care represents a significant shift away from the traditional medical model (in which staff do TO or FOR a resident) towards a model of care in which staff come to know their residents as individuals – and then utilize this understanding in the delivery of individualized, resident centered care.
During this module, participants will
- Understand the difference between the Medical Model and Person Directed Care.
- Gain practical applications for Social Services, Activities and Nursing to promote Person Directed Care through assessment, care planning, programming and staff to resident interactions.
- Learn how to utilize assessment information to develop Person Directed (behavioral) alternatives to pharmacological interventions and restraints.
As health care providers, we are often called upon to differentiate between dementia and delirium. The significant challenge we face, however, is that dementia and delirium both present with strikingly similar changes in memory, reasoning and personality. Given that delirium is typically reversible (whereas dementia is chronic and progressive), and that approximately 20 percent of our residents with a diagnosis of dementia may be incorrectly diagnosed, it is essential that we learn to accurately differentiate between dementia and delirium.
During this illuminating module, participants will learn to:
- Understand dementia and delirium.
- Understand the neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neurochemistry of dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type as well as several other types of dementia.
- Identify antecedents to delirium – factors which are typically reversible.
- Differentiate between dementia and delirium.
- Understand the role of non-drug approaches, including adaptations to the prosthetic environment in the care of residents with dementia and/or delirium based challenging behaviors.
In many situations, challenging behaviors among residents with dementia and delirium are simply their way of communicating that they are in pain, frightened, hungry, not feeling well or that they have some unmet need, want or desire. The challenge to care providers is to NOT focus on the behavior, but to focus instead on what the behavior is attempting to communicate.
Essentially, what is the language of the behavior?
During this module, participants will:
- Define challenging behaviors.
- Understand the importance of identifying behavioral triggers or antecedents
- Understand the process of Antecedent Behavior Monitoring.
- Understand Human Factors which may trigger challenging behaviors.
- Understand Environmental Factors which may trigger challenging behaviors.
- Understand Situational Factors which may trigger challenging behaviors.
- Understand Delivery of Care Factors which may trigger challenging behaviors.
- Gain knowledge, skills and abilities related to root cause analysis and antecedent behavior monitoring
- Implement Antecedent Behavior Monitoring procedures in order to identifying behavioral triggers or antecedents to dementia and delirium based challenging behaviors
This skill building module will help participants better understand how residents interpret both verbal and (of greater importance) non-verbal communication as well as introduce several powerful communication techniques especially effective when interacting with the resident with cognitive impairment.
During this module, we will:
- Identify the role of effective listening skills in the support of residents with dementia.
- Identify the role of both verbal and non-verbal communication in the care of residents with challenging behaviors.
- Gain knowledge, skills and abilities related to the use of Validation techniques when communicating with cognitively impaired residents.
- Identify behavioral alternatives to pharmacological intervention in the management of challenging behaviors.
- Identify environmental alternatives to pharmacological intervention in the management of challenging behaviors.
Unsafe wandering and the risk for resident elopement is a significant concern for both Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities. This is an especial concern for those caring for residents with cognitive impairment and dementia. The purpose of this webinar is to provide the knowledge, skills and abilities to reduce the potential for unsafe wandering and elopement among cognitively impaired residents.
During this module, we will:
- Identify environmental, situational and human factors which may contribute to unsafe wandering and elopement among residents with dementia
- Manage wandering behaviors in a way that respects resident dignity and autonomy
- Identify environmental adaptations that may prevent unsafe wandering and reduce the risk of elopement
Gravity exists! This simple fact alone is responsible for the single largest cause of death among nursing home residents! Or is it… While gravity does indeed exist, and people do fall, there is much that staff may do to reduce fall related injuries.
Within this module, participants will learn how to
- Identify factors which increase a residents risk for falls, as well as strategies for reducing falls and fall related injuries.
- Identify specific resident factors which may result in falls and fall related injuries
- Identify specific environmental factors which may lead to falls and fall related injuries
- Identify delivery of care factors which may lead to falls and fall related injuries
- Identify strategies for reducing falls and fall related injuries among residents in Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities
The dining experience may be the most challenging, yet rewarding, time of the day for those with cognitive impairment as well as their care providers. To create a truly successful dining experience requires that we embrace a process (rather than a task) oriented approach in which we focus on the dining experience itself – including the social and sensory aspects of the mealtime experience – rather than only the nutritional aspects.
This illuminating webinar will provide participants with the knowledge and abilities necessary to:
- Develop effective meal delivery strategies to reduce disruptive meal time behaviors.
- Develop effective meal delivery strategies to enhance the social dining experience.
- Explore strategies to encourage family participation within the dining experience
- Identify the role of care providers as they contribute to, or detract from the residents dining experience.
As care providers, we strive to develop relationships with our residents – and come to know our residents as individuals. We learn their needs, interests, customary routines and personal preferences. This, of course, is the foundation for person centered care. How then, do we deal with the inevitable grief that accompanies the death of those we have come to care for?
During this empowering module, participants will:
- Learn how we as care providers deal with death and dying, and how we may more effectively support our residents and colleagues through their own process of bereavement
- Understand how the belief systems and experiences of staff related to death, dying and grief impact upon their interactions with residents, families and others
- Differentiate between “normal” grief reactions and “complicated” grief
- Explore the stages of grief
- Identify strategies to support residents and colleagues in their grief
An unfortunate reality within many assisted living and skilled nursing facilities is that some residents become invisible. For some, it is the result of an inability to communicate and express ones unique needs, interests, routines and preferences. For others, invisibility is the unanticipated consequence of how they have adapted to their new living environment. For all, however, invisibility limits their opportunities for meaningful engagement in personally satisfying activities and experiences.
During this module, participants will:
- Learn how to identify invisible residents and those at risk
- Learn how to re-engage invisible residents
- Learn how to prevent the occurrence of invisibility
Best practice approaches to the care of residents requires that Administrators, nurses and health care providers understand who their residents are as individuals – rather than whom they assume them to be based upon long held myths and misconceptions. Clearly, we all have preconceived notions concerning the elderly acquired from family, friends and even the media. However, when examined, these assumptions often prove to be far from accurate at best, and harmful at worst. This module will illuminate many commonly held belief systems concerning our elderly residents and provide accurate information which may then be applied to the delivery of care.
Specific Objectives include:
- Identify personal and professional belief systems regarding the elderly
- Gain an accurate understanding of the personal, social and psychosocial characteristics of the elderly
- Examine the influence of cultural and personal misconceptions regarding the elderly upon the deliver of care