Caregivers at assisted-living facilities have a tough job.
They wear many hats as patients under their care have a diversity of aches, illness and disease that add to the complexity of the services they must provide.
From my experience as an educator and advocate of dementia and other issues relating to aging, I am heartbroken when I visit facilities ill-prepared for individuals with dementia.
My goal is to elevate their credible training to incredible training – and this can be done by becoming dementia-aware.
Here’s an overview of four important things caregivers will accomplish with this approach:
1. Help care providers manage the many challenges caused by dementia symptoms
2. Provide for needs that are often massively overlooked.
3. Give opportunities to share the joy of more meaningful moments.
4. Allow the care provider to embrace a simple, but powerful transformed care approach.
Across the United States and the world, there is a misunderstanding and even a stigmatization of dementia, resulting in barriers to proper care/diagnoses and negative impacts to caregivers and families of patients in care facilities. The costs span emotional, economical and psychological realms.
Becoming dementia-aware is a difference maker to families and professional enduring the complications that arise from improper care. This approach brings peace of mind to families, reduces the stress to both patient and health care provider, saves time and provides meaningful moments to everyone involved.