Addressing Resident-to-Resident Aggression

Hello everyone, “That Myrtle woman…she’s sitting in my chair! That’s where I sit for lunch. Get up you stupid woman. Get out of my chair!!” Sound familiar? Many older adults who move into long term care communities are moving from a home where they either lived alone or with a spouse. Suddenly, they are put […]

Wandering Worries

Hello everyone, Wandering is common for many people with dementia, and can sometimes be frustrating and nerve-wracking for caregivers. DailyCaring.com has an article about wandering this week. The article describes some reasons why people with Alzheimer’s disease might wander: Fear or stress: they might not recognize where they are, the environment is overstimulating, or a loud noise or […]

Tips to Manage Sundowning

Hello everyone, “‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…” But perhaps, some your residents are? People with dementia often struggle with restlessness, agitation, irritability or confusion that can begin or worsen in late afternoon and early evening, and can continue into the night. Commonly […]

Care plan snapshots: Making care plans useful

Developing and updating care plans to ensure they include the required information takes a lot of staff time and attention. Unfortunately, they don’t usually live up to their potential for day to day usefulness and practicality. To help address this, we’ve developed a Care Plan Snapshot…a “Readers Digest” version of a care plan that highlights […]

Best practice: Fall risk reduction

Falling is an ever-present concern and challenge for nursing homes, and falls at home is often the reason why family members decide to move their loved one to a nursing facility. Too often, however, staff and residents’ fear of falling can lead to a vicious cycle: An ambulatory resident falls and gets hurt. The resident […]

Increasing resident engagement in activities

We’ve talked about how encouraging residents to participate as much as possible in their own care can help maintain or even increase function and decrease negative behaviors. Let’s remember that residents with moderate to severe dementia can have fun too! How often do we see a group of residents participating in a recreational activity, but […]