Caregiver Cards

Communication Is Important

Communication is considered a shared responsibility. However, in dealing with persons affected with Alzheimer’s and dementias, the responsibility for understanding and being understood lies squarely with the caregiver.
Communication is quite simply the act of conveying or sharing information. Alzheimer’s and related dementias eventually create a barrier to effective communication, mostly dealing with the language part of communication.


 Caregiver Cards was founded off of the idea that not only are persons living with Alzheimer’s entitled to supportive and the best possible care, so are the caregivers. We understand so well, because we have cared for our loved ones too.

žCommunication is considered a shared responsibility. However, in dealing with persons affected with Alzheimer’s and similar dementias, the responsibility for understanding and being understood lies squarely with YOU the caregiver.

žYou, the caregiver, will be in charge of handling Caregiver Cards, and helping your loved one find their voice with a new style of communicating.

 Barbara Worthington is the founder and owner of Caregiver Cards. Barbara  with over 13 years of experience and knowledge related to care giving and Alzheimer’s.

How to Interact with a Person with Dementia in Distress |

How to Interact with a Person with Dementia in Distress

Dementia & Alzheimer's Weekly

Support & Insight for the Autumn of Life

Tips for Families & Volunteers on Visiting the Person with Dementia

MindStart - Puzzles, Games, and More for Persons with Memory Loss Tips for Having a Good Visit

Individuals with dementia can have difficulty with recent memories and with communicating, making it harder to maintain relationships with others on their own. Often, their friends, neighbors, and extended family members do not know how to handle this, so stop visiting or calling. Offer these tips to decrease the fear and make the visit successful.

Choose a quiet calm location
Introduce yourself, as needed
Keep focus on the person, using eye contact and patience
Avoid correcting; instead offer reassurance and praise
Avoid open-ended questions; instead use yes/no questions or questions where 2 choices are given
Monitor body language and facial expressions of the person
Enter their world. Talk about what they are thinking about at the time.
Reminiscence is a wonderful tool. Talk about past interests or significant life events.
Use adapted Alzheimer activities to form a connection and have fun together.

  

MindStart Visting Kit

Don't know what to do when visiting with the person with dementia?

This is the perfect 'kit' to have a variety of activities that work for different stages of dementia. 

 Includes your choice of one 26 piece puzzle, various level re-usable word searches, and lacing card in a handy  binder. 

Official Site of the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners, LLC

Official Site of the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners, LLC: The newest component of the NCCDP is the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Staff Education Week Tool Kit.

The Tool Kit is available at www.nccdp.org. The Tool Kit and the declaration by the NCCDP Alzheimer's and Dementia Staff Education Week February 14th to the 21st was developed and implemented to bring awareness to the importance of staff educators being trained and certified in dementia care and to provide education by means of face to face interactive classroom environment and to provide comprehensive dementia education to all healthcare professionals and line staff. NCCDP recognizes the important contribution that Nurse Educators and Staff Educators provide to health care professionals and line staff and in honor of this week the NCCDP is seeking nominations for Nurse Educator and Staff Educator of the Year.

Currently there are no national standards for dementia education. The regulations are different from state to state. The NCCDP recommends at minimum an initial 8 hours of dementia education to all staff. Through out the year, additional dementia education should be provided that incorporates new advances, culture change and innovative ideas.
The tool kit includes:

• Free Power Point / Over Head In-services for Health Care Staff, Tests and Answers, Seminar Evaluation and Seminar Certificates.
• 97 Ways To Recognize Alzheimer’s and dementia Staff Education Week
• 20 Reasons Why You Should Provide Comprehensive Alzheimer’s and Dementia Training to Your Staff by A Live Instructor
• Dementia Word Search Games & Interactive Exercises
• Movies and Books About Alzheimer’s You Don’t Want To Miss
• Proclamation & Sample Agenda for Opening Ceremony & Sample Letter to Editor
• Contest Entry Forms- Staff Education week
• Alzheimer’s Bill of Rights & Alzheimer’s Patient Prayer
• Nurse Educator / In-service Director of The Year Nomination F

In addition to facilitating the Train the Trainer programs, The NCCDP promotes dementia education and certification of all staff as Certified Dementia Practitioners (CDP®).
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Incontinence: Why You Shouldn’t Be Embarrassed

Incontinence: Why You Shouldn’t Be Embarrassed:

It’s a topic most people don’t want to talk about, but it’s too important to avoid: incontinence. As we continue to educate our readers throughout Alzheimer's Awareness Month, it's important to shed light on the tie between dementia and incontinence.

Unfortunately, many people faced with worsening dementia are dealt a second, unexpected blow when incontinence begins to happen regularly. It may be an uncomfortable topic, but it’s incredibly common; as dementia progresses, incontinence becomes almost inevitable, according to a 2006 study. Another reason to deal with this care issue head-on is that it is the most common reason a person with dementia is institutionalized.

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It is also a reason many must stop attending Day Care

DLMifm

seniorszen.com is a free resource for finding local senior housing in Canada & Alzheimer's Care-- by Province

seniorszen.com is a free resource for finding local senior housing in Canada. They provide comprehensive information on Independent Living, Home Care, Residential Care Homes, Assisted Living, Alzheimer's Care, and Nursing Homes in all Canadian provinces.  SeniorsZen's Mailing Address:
Suite 400 - 601 West Broadway Vancouver, BC V5Z 4C2 Canada

Alzheimer's Care-- by Province

Alberta   http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/alberta
British Columbia   http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/british-columbia
Manitoba  http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/manitoba
Nunavut  http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/nunavut
New Brunswick http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/new-brunswick
Newfoundland - labrador http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/newfoundland-labrador
Northwest Territories http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/northwest-territories
Nova Scotia http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/nova-scotia
Ontario  http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/ontario
Prince Edward Island  http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/prince-edward-island
Quebec  http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/quebec
Saskatchewan http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/saskatchewan
Yukon Territory  http://www.seniorszen.com/care/alzheimers-care/yukon-territory

Dr. Bruce A. Chernof, MD: Synergy for Senior Care: Improving Partnerships Between Medical Services and Community-Based Care

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Federal and state governments now place increased pressure on the health care sector to provide better quality care while reducing costs, such as readmission penalties and quality ratings on Medicare Advantage plans. However, many of the issues that emerge in the chasm between a hospital discharge and full re-entry at home are things that are beyond the hospital walls. For example, could the person navigate the three steps to get inside the home? If medications need to be taken with food, is there food in the refrigerator? Did the prescriptions get filled within 24 hours in the first place? Does the daughter know how to safely help mom get from the recliner to the bathroom?
These and other key issues are commonplace for a whole range of community-based organizations that answer the calls from frustrated family members and help make arrangements to smooth the transitions. Organizations such as aging and disability resource centers, faith-based groups and many others have much to offer health care systems that can no longer operate only inside the medical walls. Developing, fostering and managing partnerships between community-based organizations and the health care sector is a key step towards addressing the total needs of older adults and people with disabilities as critical junctures in their health. This is particularly true for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

While efforts are underway at the national level to improve care transitions, the dearth of information on how best to build partnerships between the community-based long-term services and supports and the medical sector is staggering. Both the health care sector and community-based services sector have been working on tackling the issue of care coordination, but have been doing so from their own perspectives and biases. Beyond anecdotes, there are few models on how to create, formalize and maintain these partnerships, or how to define and delineate what a joint approach to care transitions and care

Pensioners set up lunch clubs after new council charges imposed | Carers Chill4us

Pensioners set up lunch clubs after new council charges imposed | Carers Chill4us: PENSIONERS have formed their own lunch clubs which helps carers
Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Isle of Thanet Gazette

Minnis Day Centre in Birchington is the sole remaining publicly run centre in Thanet. Some people have stopped attending after being hit by charges of up to £45 per day.

Carer Barry Hardy, 85, set up a club because he cannot afford the new charges to take his wife Kay to the centre.

Following talks between users and KCC, Mr Hardy decided to organise a club to give carers and pensioners a place to gather that did not break the bank.

Treatments for Behavior | Alzheimer's Association

Treatments for Behavior | Alzheimer's Association: Treatments for Behavior

Common changes in behavior

Many people find the changes in behavior caused by Alzheimer's to be the most challenging and distressing effect of the disease. The chief cause of behavioral symptoms is the progressive deterioration of brain cells. However, medication, environmental influences and some medical conditions also can cause symptoms or make them worse.

Overnight Dementia 'Camp' Allows Caregivers Rest : NPR

Overnight Dementia 'Camp' Allows Caregivers Rest : NPR: Overnight Dementia 'Camp' Allows Caregivers Rest

by The Associated Press
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NEW YORK October 1, 2012, 05:53 pm ET

NEW YORK (AP) — Just after 10 p.m., when most people their age are going to sleep, a group of elderly folks suffering from dementia are just getting started, dancing and shaking tambourines and maracas in a raucous version of "La Bamba."

"It's a party," says an 81-year-old woman, among dozens of patients brought to a Bronx nursing home every night for a structured series of singalongs, crafts and therapy sessions that lasts until dawn.

The program, which appears to be rare, is kind of a "night camp" for dementia victims who don't sleep at night or tend to wake up agitated or become frightened or disoriented by the fall of darkness.

It's meant to provide care and activity — lots of activity — to fill the wee hours for people with Alzheimer's and similar diseases who live at home. And it's meant to provide their caregivers — usually a son or daughter — with a treasured night's sleep.