Health Professions Press,U.S. – förlag

Use the ingenious communication and memory aids featured in this practical guide to significantly improve the ability of people with dementia and related memory impairments to stay connected, engaged, and functioning at their optimal level of independence. Presenting a wide array of evidence-based examples, Memory and Communication Aids for People with Dementia contains all the information needed to develop personalised supports for any individual and every circumstance. From low-tech options such as memory wallets, memo boards, planners, and reminder cards to commercial products available through new electronic technologies, these simple but powerful tools help to provide conversation prompts, answers to common questions, and reminders for daily living. Confusion, anxiety, frustration, and challenging behaviours melt away when individuals are able tocommunicate their needs and preferences to caregiversremember important names, places, and appointmentscomplete tasks unassistedengage in meaningful conversations and social interactionsrecall past events and achievementspreserve their dignity and identityFull-colour illustrations and simple instructions for creating various memory and communication tools are included. Abundant examples of useful content and formats are supplemented by more than 30 downloadable guides and templates to use or customise. Speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, activity directors, direct care staff, and family members interacting with adults with memory impairments will welcome this practical and life-enhancing resource.

Written by international Montessori and dementia experts, this indispensable guide to Montessori for elders makes it possible for any care provider to understand and implement this innovative approach to aging. Jennifer Brush and Margaret Jarrell show care communities how to create and sustain a team that promotes elders’ functional skills, independence, and identity by integrating the Montessori philosophy throughout daily life. Based on years of research, clinical practice, and educational experience, Brush and Jarrell clearly explain the concepts behind this highly person-centered approach, how to create a prepared environment, and how to increase levels of engagement for older adults. In addition to covering all the essentials needed to begin and sustain the Montessori philosophy with elders or people living with dementia, this new edition includes guidelines for intergenerational programming, added forms and assessments, more ready-to-use activities, and a step-by-step implementation plan.

Help your clients who have memory loss remember important information or actions with the proven memory training strategy of spaced retrieval (SR). Using this therapeutic communication method allows people to learn and store important information (such as when to take medications or how to use a walker) in long-term memory so that, with practice, it can be easily accessed and retrieved.Now you can learn this innovative process step by step, from identifying a person’s needs and desires, to creating the spaced retrieval format that supports those needs, to using SR practices to increase success in the person’s daily routines. Plus, you’ll get illustrative case studies, assessment forms, visual cueing tools, and tips for communication.With SR, speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, nurses, and healthcare and homecare professionals at all levels of care can bring more confidence, safety, and independence into the lives of people with memory loss and their care partners.

Reminiscence, life review, life story, autobiography, etc., are popular activities undertaken with or by older adults, whether for personal or therapeutic reasons. The act of reminiscing takes many forms, often very freeform, but this book presents a specific, structured approoach that has been extensively researched and found to provide measurable therapeutic benefits.Haight's Life Review process involves eight one-hour sessions that are organized around Erik Erikson's eight developmental accomplishments, or life stages: trust (early childhood), autonomy and initiative (childhood), industry (early adolescence), identity (adolescence), intimacy (early adulthood), generativity (older adulthood), and integrity (old age). Some people have not achieved one or more of these goals over the course of their lifetimes and the Life Review process offers an opportunity to rethink experiences in a way that helps them achieve these goals through understanding and acceptance of the past. Although this Life Review process has been used effectively with teenagers and other populations, the target audience for this book is older adults, especially those who have had difficult lives, to help them achieve integrity, which is an acceptance of the life lived rather than despair over it.The book describes in detail the role of the interviewer (Therapeutic Listener) and of the Life Reviewer. A chapter is devoted to each session, describing goals and instructions for the session along with sample dialogue from actual listeners - reviewers that illustrate the types of experiences and responses that may be elicited. Much of the text focuses on methods to be used by Listeners to facilitate the reminiscence process, including communication techniques, counseling techniques, assessment techniques, and even how to arrange the physical space to maximize comfort and minimize distractions. Different types of participants are described and effective methods of interviewing them are offered, always with case study examples that demonstrate the techniques.

Offers a comprehensive program that addresses the unique challenges and opportunities presented by adult day services and long-term care settings. The program is an intelligible, beginning-to-end implementation guide that covers food selection and presentation, individual resident programming, staff training and support, environmental modifications, and organizational change and program maintenance.

Bring out the best in each person with dementia each day with more than 140 versatile, easy-to-implement Best Friends activities. Thousands of caregivers around the world know that providing Best Friends' care improves the quality of life of people with dementia by building on the essential elements of friendship; respect, empathy, support, trust, humor, and sharing time together. Using the Best Friends approach to activities, anyone on staff can turn any interaction with a resident or client into an activity that satisfies essential physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Each activity contains suggestions for personalizing the activity and matching it to the remaining strengths of the individual to ensure success and reduce challenging behaviors. The Best Friends Book of Alzheimer's Activities is chock full of inspiring and innovative ideas on how to: convert everyday activities into those with ""knack""; create new activities out of tried-and-true activities; provide activities between structured programs/events; increase self-esteem; adapt activities for people with late dementia; provide opportunities for connecting to others; create intergenerational experiences; use the person's life story in any activity; make activities out of personal care; conduct activities specifically for men; fill evening hours to alleviate sundowning; provide ""take-away"" activities for family caregivers to use at home; incorporate exercise into activities; use the Internet to expand and enrich activities. Many activities can be conducted spontaneously, with simple props, engaging older people in meaningful activity for extended periods. Best Friends activities are adult-oriented and flexible enough for staff and residents to add their own ideas. Special features include a list of the latest and most effective resources for activity professionals and helpful tips on communicating with people with dementia.

Using a thematic approach to activity programming, this illuminating book teaches activity staff and recreation therapy students how to maximize cognition and brain functioning to improve the day-to-day performance of both well elders and those facing illness or disability. The author's Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming method transforms activity planning from an episodic approach (isolated activities) to a continuum of related events using varying expressive forms: the visual arts, language, music and drama. Readers learn how to use these expressive arts in a dynamic, integrated way that will renew the hearts, minds and spirits of older people whose declining physical or mental health increasingly limits their experiences and interactions. Emphasis is placed on programming that is inexpensive and easily adapted for people at various levels of functioning.

Expand and enrich your Best Friends activity programming with 149 all-new activities for individuals with dementia. Like the first book, this collection of fun and easy activities will add both meaning and enjoyment to the activities at your adult day center, home care setting, or residential care facility.

With practical information presented in easy-to-understand language, this training guide will improve the quality of foot care provided to older adults in long-term care settings. Frequently left undiagnosed and untreated, foot problems can result in pain, limited mobility, increased risk for falling, reduced levels of activity, and lower overall quality of life for residents. Direct care staff can play a key role in improving this area of resident care. Here, they will learn to understand common foot problems, practice preventive foot care, and recognize conditions that require further treatment. Detailed information is provided on these important topics: the structure and common problems of the foot; medical conditions that contribute to poor foot health (e.g., diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and neurological deficits); proper assessment and examination of older adults' feet; common nail and skin problems; muscular and skeletal conditions of the foot; preventive measures to avoid frequent complications, including pressure ulcers, falls, and amputation; and, use of geriatric footwear. An educational booklet on foot care is provided for the use of long-term care residents and their families. Also included are a complete glossary of terms and a list of diagnostic codes and Medicare qualifications for common foot problems. Appropriate for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, and other programs that care for older adults, this resource is useful as a teaching guide for in-service staff education or as a self-teaching tool.

Written especially for family members and friends caring for people with dementia, this practical guidebook offers a solution to commonly faced communication and relationship difficulties. The Validation approach's caring, empathetic techniques have been used and valued by professionals and families around the world to support meaningful communication and interaction with people with memory impairments.Adapted from the best-selling book for professionals, ""The Validation Breakthrough"", this hands-on resource gives family caregivers all the information and guidance they need to successfully implement proven Validation techniques and enjoy resulting benefits like: reduced challenging behavior; improved communication; lower levels of stress and anxiety in both caregivers and older adults; and more satisfying relationships.In addition to background information about dementia and the principles behind Validation, the book includes detailed, illustrated explanations of specific verbal and nonverbal communication techniques. Realistic case studies demonstrate the approach in action in many different relationships, including husband/wife, parent/child, and grandparent/grandchild.Caregivers who adopt Validation will learn how to break through the silence and pain of withdrawal and interact with their loved one with greater respect and compassion. Start re-establishing connections and improving relationships today with ""Validation Techniques for Dementia Care"".2008 National Mature Media Award (Bronze Award Winner)

A useful tool for initiating communication and providing stimulation for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. It can be used by children, adults, and family as well as health professionals as a device to interact with those suffering from memory loss.

Presenting evidence-based practice throughout, this easy-to-read manual is a comprehensive guide to preventing and managing falls in hospitals and long-term care settings. Now in its fourth edition, the award-winning guide explores the internal and external causes of falls, analyzes their consequences, provides clinical assessments for actual falls as well as risks for falling, and promotes an interdisciplinary approach to falls management. Jam-packed with practical strategies, assessment tools, and management practices, Falls in Older People includes all the medical, rehabilitative, and environmental strategies needed in any care setting to protect the safety and health of at-risk older adults.

What you do really does matter! This book is a must read for nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, and others in leadership positions in long-term care. It offers practical, commonsense, easy-to-implement approaches that will yield immediate positive results. It also serves as a wake-up call to leaders who doubt their impact and as an affirmation to leaders who struggle daily to do a good job. Let Meeting the Leadership Challenge in Long-Term Care open the door to new possibilities and set your organisation on a better course.Too often long-term care leaders feel overwhelmed by regulatory, financial, and corporate constraints and succumb to the myth that staff turnover is an inevitable cost of doing business. This book debunks this myth, revealing the powerful link between staff satisfaction and successful organisational performance that delivers high quality, high census, good surveys, and a healthy bottom line.Based on extensive on-the-ground experience with implementing and guiding hundreds of nursing homes through successful organisational transformations, the authors offer advice and wisdom that can make your organisation more successful, efficient and stable, whether it is currently struggling or thriving. Just a few of the take-home lessons from your this constructive guide include how toGet and keep the right staff, including how to identify ""triple crown winners""Reduce staff stress and promote solid teamworkBuild a positive chain of leadership that brings out the best in the staffConvert money now spent on turnover into resources to support stabilityImprove corporate support with an instructive ""Stop Doing List""Use quality improvement and culture change practices to achieve high performanceIncrease staff, family, and resident satisfactionMake a meaningful impact as a leader Watch these benefits unfold right before your eyes in one of the most unique features of this book: a journal documenting administrator David Farrell’s experience turning around a nursing home that was by all measures doing poorly. Through his difficulties, triumphs, tragedies, and everyday experiences, see how better outcomes are attainable by focusing on leadership practices that make a difference.Widely recognised as experts in the long-term care field, the authors of Meeting the Leadership Challenge in Long-Term Care combine their years of experience in nursing home leadership and management to create a resource that can transform how long-term care facilities are run.2012 National Mature Media Award (Bronze Award Winner)

Although we can’t currently offer a cure for Alzheimer’s, we can provide better information and advice to people with the disease (and their caregivers) to help improve their ability to live and cope with this challenging disease. This groundbreaking book shows how to start making a difference during the initial evaluation and beyond. Treating every assessment as more than a simple diagnostic process, Whole Person Dementia Assessment sets the stage for more constructive interventions, better care, and a higher quality of life throughout the disease process by providing a richer understanding of the person and the way the disease is affecting him or her.Blending traditional clinical evaluation procedures with more person-centered approaches, Whole Person Dementia Assessment shows how to assess a person’s cognitive deficits while also discovering and emphasizing remaining strengths and abilities. Best-practice assessment tools are recommended and provided, including a comprehensive, whole-person interview form.Backed by solid research findings, Dr. Benjamin T. Mast demonstrates that geriatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and long-term care providers who incorporate methods such as personal interviews, life review, and validation into their assessment processes, will substantially improve their ability todevelop rapport with the person and family memberscollect more in-depth and valid assessment resultsidentify cognitive and behavioral strengths and weaknessesrecommend interventionsWith Whole Person Dementia Assessment, professionals who care about the well-being of their patients and residents can now provide more productive consultations that will result in better outcomes. Take advantage of this new opportunity to help lighten the burden of a devastating disease.2012 National Mature Media Award (Merit Award Winner)

Responding to the sexual desires of older adults in residential environments is widely recognized as a challenge by care staff, administrators, and family members. This resource meets the challenge head on, exploring the issues surrounding sexual expression from all perspectives. It address the question of how, in an increasingly person-centered care culture, long-term care facilities balance individual resident rights against the needs and concerns of the community as a whole. Who decides what is appropriate or inappropriate, and how?The first book to take a person-centered approach to resident sexuality in long-term care, this ground-breaking training tools represents sexual expression as a significant part of personality, explains why it is important to honor longings for intimacy, and provides strategies for teaching staff how to effectively, respectfully, and compassionately acknowledge those needs. It will enlighten anyone who believes sexuality vanishes with age and offers solutions for navigating this highly charged issue.Informative, engaging, and instructive, this helpful resource builds upon case studies that illustrate potential issues surrounding resident sexuality in various long-term care settings. Each scenario creates opportunities for health discussion about how the staff handled the situation, what was done well and what wasn’t, and how to improve the outcomes. Throughout the book, best care practices for supporting resident sexuality are validated by research.Long-term care administrators, nurses, social workers, counselors, direct care staff, ombudsmen, and others devoted to enhancing the quality of life in nursing homes will find answers to pressing questions surrounding sexuality, includingWhat is normal sexual expression in old age?How does dementia affect sexuality?What triggers inappropriate behaviors, and how can they be addressed and prevented?What constitutes consent and/or competence?How can lack of privacy be minimized in long-term care environments?What concerns do LGBT residents bring to a long-term care community?How can residents be protected from sexually transmitted diseases?What do policies regarding sexual expression convey about a community’s commitment to resident quality of life?Valuable tools for staff training are included, such as reproducible handouts and group learning activities that encourage staff and managers to explore attitudes and biases about resident sexuality and to help organizations develop policies related to this fundamental need. Important take-away points are highlighted and sidebars offer effective solutions to common dilemmas surrounding sexuality in long-term care settings.Place your order today and increase your sensitivity, awareness, and confidence in addressing an important dimension of resident life in the field of elder care.2012 National Mature Media Award (Merit Award Winner)2012

As communication skills decline in people with dementia, a supportive environment becomes crucial to a resident’s ability to express needs and desires. But how do you recognise what physical and social changes will help improve functioning, communication, and quality of life? The Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit (ECAT) for Dementia Care is your answer. This evidence-based toolkit includes the tools you need to assess, intervene, and modify on an individualised basis to ensure the quality of life for people with dementia. Use the validated Assessment Forms, and in three easy-to-follow steps you will be able to assess activity performance with quick yes/no questions; evaluate the environment to identify barriers and problems; and pinpoint individualised recommendations for intervention. ECAT’s developers are researchers and experienced clinicians who have made sure that ECAT integrates effortlessly into evaluation and treatment sessions; helps keep up case load demands with creative solutions; satisfies regulatory requirements; leads to straightforward functional therapeutic interventions; and identifies low-cost, person-centred environmental modifications. ECAT for Dementia Care has more than 300 specific recommendations for interventions and modifications that will reduce typical problems encountered during routine activities of daily living for people with dementia. With the ECAT’s functionally based assessment and intervention system, you will be fully equipped with solutions. Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit for Dementia Care Toolkit (ECAT) Card Pack contains 25 cards (24 full-colour Sequencing Cue Cards and 1 double-sided single colour card (Gray Scale Contrast Tool and Type Size Reading Test).

As communication skills decline in people with dementia, a supportive environment becomes crucial to a resident’s ability to express needs and desires. But how do you recognise what physical and social changes will help improve functioning, communication, and quality of life? The Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit (ECAT) for Dementia Care is your answer. This evidence-based toolkit includes the tools you need to assess, intervene, and modify on an individualised basis to ensure the quality of life for people with dementia. Use the validated Assessment Forms, and in three easy-to-follow steps you will be able to assess activity performance with quick yes/no questions; evaluate the environment to identify barriers and problems; and pinpoint individualised recommendations for intervention.ECAT’s developers are researchers and experienced clinicians who have made sure that ECAT integrates effortlessly into evaluation and treatment sessions; helps keep up case load demands with creative solutions; satisfies regulatory requirements; leads to straightforward functional therapeutic interventions; and identifies low-cost, person-centred environmental modifications. ECAT for Dementia Care has more than 300 specific recommendations for interventions and modifications that will reduce typical problems encountered during routine activities of daily living for people with dementia. With the ECAT’s functionally based assessment and intervention system, you will be fully equipped with solutions. Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit for Dementia Care (ECAT) – Without Metres contains 100 pp paperback Manual, Assessment Forms, Card Pack (Gray Scale Contrast Tool, Type Size Reading Test), and CD-ROM (of reproducible forms and cards).

Part of the series Leading Principles & Practices in Elder Care, Culture Change in Elder Care is a one-of-a-kind exploration of the ongoing efforts to revolutionise elder care in America, with contributions from many of the innovators who have championed the 'culture change' movement. Supporting the ideals of person-centred care from economic, practical, and moral perspectives, it also speaks to the changing demands of long-term care consumers and how care communities will remain competitive by creating settings where residents and staff can live and grow, and not just grow old. Gain insight into the essential arguments, values, and business case for why traditional care models have and must change to better serve the needs of today's older adults.

This second volume in the series Leading Principles & Practices in Elder Care examines the issues and practices behind the day-to-day implementation of individualised elder care. Through profiles of pioneering model communities, readers learn what person-centred care looks like in practice. From the providers who are raising the bar for best practices in long-term care, readers gain direct experience in the successful processes behind transforming attitudes, practices, physical spaces, and organisational structures to accommodate increasingly collaborative and person-directed care. Professional staff from nurses to social workers to administrators will learn about the essential skills to be mastered and probable challenges to be overcome in the transformational journey from traditional elder care services to progressive modern ideals.

Remaining as wise and relevant as it ever was, this updated second edition brings professional care partners a wealth of new advice on how to incorporate the celebrated tenets of Best Friends™ into the everyday care of people with dementia. Using the best qualities of friendship—respect, empathy, support, trust, and humor—you can ensure the highest quality of life for the people in your care, making each day reassuring, enjoyable, and secure.In addition to explaining the basic elements of communication and caregiving Knack that are essential to the Best Friends approach, this revised edition includes all-new chapters on using the life story, planning activities, being successful when behaviors become challenging, getting the best from families and volunteers, and effectively creating and sustaining a Best Friends program.What’s New?The 2nd edition is substantially reorganized for the benefit of professional care partners and it features an all-new final section:Part 1:Introduces the building blocks of the Best Friends™ approach, including the Dementia Bill of Rights, the concept of relationship-centered care, and the core tenets of Best FriendsPart 2:Explains Best Friends in practice in formal care settings, with in-depth chapters on the life story, communication, caregiving Knack, activities, and challenging behavior.Part 3:Discusses how to create and sustain a Best Friends program as well as how to use volunteers and partner with families.

Keep people with dementia fully engaged in daily life and help them maximise remaining functional skills by tapping into their innate abilities and interests. Engaging and Communicating with People Who Have Dementia is a trove of advice on how to identify people's strengths and preferences and then use this knowledge to improve activity programming, communication, and functional independence.Individualising activities, interactions, or interventions at any moment of the day is made easy with the many helpful suggestions offered throughout the pages of this innovative guide. Here are keys to successfully choosing leisure activities for individuals that emphasise their previous interests and talents as well as current capabilities.Based on the principles of multiple intelligences, this resource provides handy assessment forms and instructive explanations and examples to help uncover and then build on each person's unique abilities. Abundant activity ideas are showcased for each type of intelligence — linguistic, logical, visual, tactile, auditory, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic — plus strategies for adapting them as a person's abilities decline.Features that make this resource especially useful for enriching person-centered programming, include:• Advice on available technologies that enhance communication, promote independence, and stimulate cognition.• Guidelines for matching activities to early, middle and late stages of dementia.• Valuable assessment tools for use by staff, family, and the individual.• Downloadable, reusable forms.Activity professionals, nursing staff, speech-language pathologists, and even family caregivers can help maintain meaningful and enjoyable interactions with an adult diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease using this strength-based approach.2014 National Mature Media Award (Bronze Award Winner)

People with early dementia face enormous challenges in coping with their condition, yet they typically receive no personalised education or support following the diagnosis. Counselling empowers them to understand and come to terms with the illness while also learning to manage and make healthy adaptations to it. With the rapid increase in people diagnosed with early memory impairment—and demand for better support services—this groundbreaking new guide gives you essential tools to become an integral partner in a process that helps people adjust to the many changes in their lives. Presenting an innovative new counselling framework designed around the unique problems and needs arising from dementia, Counseling People with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease guides the counsellor and client through the many emotional, practical, and lifestyle issues to be faced. In her new and easy-to-follow protocol, Robyn Yale—an internationally renowned expert on early-stage support groups—explores topics that include identity and self-esteem, resilience, relating to and educating others, stress management, and more. You will come away with an expanded repertoire of specialised skills and support roles—including coach, care planner, mediator, communications specialist, and problem solver—that will dramatically improve your ability to assist people with early dementia towork through complex emotionstap into useful coping mechanismsfocus on capabilitiesadapt to practical circumstances in their day-to-day activitiesretain maximum autonomy over lifestyle preferencesfind new ways to move forward with their livesAt the heart of this approach is the unique story behind each relationship forged between the person with dementia and the counsellor. It is sure to spark inspiration and self-discovery—in yourself and in those with whom you work!

Use poetry and the arts to encourage and facilitate communication with people with dementia in a fun and unique way!Dementia Arts guides readers in incorporating poetry, music, and other arts into activity programming to increase interaction and encourage amusement and joy in dementia care. Author Gary Glazner, founder of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project and Institute for Dementia Education and Arts (IDEA), demonstrates how anyone—not just poets or artists—can incorporate creative verbal expression into activities of daily living (as well as day-to-day activities) in an effortless, economical, and enjoyable way.Using simple techniques that build on poetry as a communication tool, you can achieve positive outcomes with people in all stages of dementia, as well as those with challenging behavior. A fun and engaging read, Dementia Arts is perfect for professional and family caregivers, and truly provides the ""recipe"" for communication success through poetry and art.

The newly revised edition of this popular resource provides caregiving staff with easy-to-understand and powerfully effective ways to prevent, reduce, or eliminate the challenging behaviors of care recipients. Nearly 80% of long-term care residents exhibit some level of difficult behaviors stemming from a wide range of factors including depression, personal distress, declining physical function, or dementia. Care staff will learn how to use this book’s proven intervention tools and strategies to identify and satisfy the basic human needs that underlie challenging behaviors, as well as encourage and reinforce positive behaviors.With detailed vignettes illustrating the successful implementation of each recommended technique for addressing common challenging resident behaviors, this new edition also focuses on empowering caregivers to cope with the stress of their roles. Presented in a user-friendly style for anyone working in long-term care settings, this book serves as both a self-study tool and a resource for in-service training.Resources for staff include:Downloadable handouts that summarize core content as well as strategies and models for intervention.Exercises that help staff put concepts into practice.Intervention and behavior tracking forms.Stress-management techniques that help staff with their own reactions to challenging resident behavior.A 5-step treatment plan using a preventative approach.Whether used as a self-help tool, a curriculum for in-services, a training guide for students, or a reference for mental health professionals, Caring for People with Challenging Behaviors, Second Edition is an essential read for anyone working in long-term care. The simple and practical techniques presented will raise the quality of life for care recipients and can transform the overall culture of care.NEW to the second edition!New chapter on the benefits of advance directives over behavior contracts.More intervention strategies and stress-management techniques.Downloadable exercises, forms, posters, and 40 handouts.Additional case studies and instructional displays.2015 National Mature Media Award (Merit Award Winner)

With the goal of alleviating the paucity of knowledge about advanced dementia, and helping to improve the care and services that are increasingly needed for the growing numbers of people living with dementia-type diseases, this book provides evidence-based measurement scales for use by researchers and care providers who are seeking to improve our understanding of the final stages of this disease. Now collected in a single place are the best available research tools for use with this unique population, accompanied by knowledgeable reviews by the book’s internationally recognized authors and by the original journal articles that explain each scale s development and validity.All scales presented in this unique resource have been proven effective in eliciting meaningful data from study subjects, patients, and long-term care residents whose communication difficulties reduce their ability to self-report or respond in traditionally measured ways. These customized scales are useful for assessing the following domains in late-stage or end-of-life dementia care: Dementia severity, Satisfaction with care, Symptom management, Comfort during dying, Quality of life, Activity involvement, Discomfort, Pain, Quality of visits, Agitation, Rejection of care

Enjoy the benefits and reduced stress that come from reconnecting people with dementia to lifelong activities they love. Using a strength-based approach, this guide shows step by step how to design meaningful, individualized activities that can be performed by a person with memory loss as independently as possible. Helpful assessment and implementation tools guide your efforts to identify a person’s optimal leisure activities and then tailor them to current skill levels. The resulting activity plans will effectively promote the well-being and self-identity of each person with memory loss. Downloadable resources include: Communication strategies and conversations startersAssessment forms Step-by-step implementation guidesSample activities adapted for early, middle, and late stages of dementia.

High employee turnover is one of the greatest challenges facing long-term care communities today. Without consistent staffing, programs and their residents greatly suffer the negative consequences of inadequate resident care, unnecessary expenses, and inefficient operations. To curb this trend of low employee retention, this useful guide will help long-term care administrators develop, implement, and maintain an effective orientation program for all levels of staff.By providing new employees with proper training from the moment they step in the door, long-term care communities and other programs can ensure that they are nurturing skilled caregivers who are dedicated to their organization and their residents for the long haul. Using a person-centered focus, this guide outlines all of the necessary steps in creating an orientation program that works. Starting with establishing the long-term care organization’s needs, the guide then goes on to explain what pertinent information to include, how, when, and where to present it, and how to develop a schedule and timeframe for training. The guide also stresses the importance of creating a mentorship program between new and existing employees and provides valuable insight on how to develop and sustain such a program. Other important topics include testing skills in new employees, administering evaluations, building relationships, defining the community’s culture, and keeping the focus on the residents.Over the course of 12 chapters, this guide shows leaders that effective orientation program lasts far beyond the first day. By creating and implementing a thorough, person-centered orientation and training program, facilities will not only foster the growth of their newest employees but also give them the skills, knowledge, confidence, and support to successfully adapt to a new workplace. This comfort and confidence easily translates into the delivery of the highest quality of care to residents and a lasting dedication to one’s organization.Notable features include:Downloadable sample forms that can be used as a guide!Chapter review at the end of each chapter with a bulleted list of key points. Includes blank lines so the reader can make notesA focus on extending a setting’s person-centered approach to encompass its employees, too, taking a novel approach to making employees feel well-trained and supported in a new work environment2016 American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards (2nd place, Gerontological Nursing)2016 National Health Information Awards (Merit Award Winner - in Other/Miscellaneous Health Information, Media/Publishing Division)

Creativity is preserved in dementia long after other abilities are lost, so that making art provides rich opportunities for meaningful engagement for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Creative Connections™ in Dementia Care provides care partners with the knowledge and easy-to-follow steps they need to successfully implement art projects in a group or one-on-one setting—and no art experience is required!Written for anyone who cares for a person with dementia—family members, friends, and professionals—this how-to manual is packed with guidance to help enhance communication, interactions, task breakdown, and problem-solving efforts while also encouraging the abilities of each participant.People with dementia enjoy valuable benefits when they actively engage in a creative activity:stress is reducedmemories can be accessedmood and self-esteem are elevateda sense of personal identity and achievement is experiencedTo help create these opportunities, Creative Connections™ in Dementia Care provides 10 basic art project “recipes,” detailing supplies, instructions, and activity modifications, as well as colourful, step-by-step photographs that show how to demonstrate and lead the activity for the person with dementia. Each art activity is failure-free and does not require memory skills to complete.Bring joy and a powerful sense of connection to the lives of people experiencing dementia with this one-of-a-kind guide!2016 National Health Information Awards (Silver Award Winner - in Other/Miscellaneous Health, Media/Publishing Division)

From the authors of the award-winning Meeting the Leadership Challenge in Long-Term Care, this book provides a blueprint for success in today’s performance-based healthcare system. It presents a tested approach to delivering optimal care to each resident using a proven, coordinated bundle of key practices that include: Leadership that brings out the best in staffA communication infrastructure to support teamwork throughout an organizationA high-involvement performance improvement process that delivers quality person-centered care and prevents avoidable declines This practical resource takes long-term care leaders through the critical steps to achieve staff stability, strengthen coordination of care, and maintain the highest practicable well-being for each resident. It demonstrates how engaging staff in continuous quality improvement produces consistently high-quality care. Whether care communities are excelling or struggling, leaders can benefit from these performance-improving practices. Filled with candid, impactful personal accounts about implementing quality improvement in nursing homes, A Long-Term Care Leader’s Guide reveals precisely how leaders and their staff can do better, together.