Tag Archives: Contest

Care Plan Contest Winner!

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Hello everyone,

We are excited to announce the winner of our Person-Centered Care Plan Contest! Kelly Cox, the ADON at Meadows Nursing & Rehab in Pennsylvania, sent us her creative solution to an issue she was having with a resident who was not safely transferring:

My most recent person centered care plan was for a resident who was a famous musician and every day he comes into the office and gives the nurses music trivia and due to a stroke, he cannot play guitar anymore. 

He is very impulsive and has poor safety awareness and short term memory loss. He has had many falls related to toileting and recently has started self transferring by standing and twisting his legs while he turns to sit. He’s not supposed to do it by himself, but since we know he does anyways… we need to a least help prevent an injury.

I figured out a way for him to park his chair and to avoid this strain on his legs while he transfers, but he can’t remember each time, so, with his permission, I posted this musical themed sign in his bathroom to help him remember and to make him smile! 

Be sure to see the attached photograph! Maybe this would work with someone in your community?

Congratulations Kelly and your team at Meadows Nursing! Your gift card is on its way!

Have a great week!

Chubby Checker picture

Exercise Ideas for People with Dementia & Contest Reminder

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Hello everyone,

DailyCaring.com has a great article this week with ideas for exercises to do with people with dementia, tips for how to get them to participate in physical activity, and a list of the many benefits of exercise for this population. Much may sound familiar to you as it echoes many of the things we’ve discussed in past tidbits, but it is a great summary and easy to share with your staff.

Click on the link below to read the article:

http://dailycaring.com/12-ideas-for-exercise-and-physical-activities-for-seniors-with-dementia/?utm_source=DailyCaring&utm_campaign=36809770cf-DC_Email_2018-07-03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_57c250b62e-36809770cf-123152321

Second, a reminder to send us a brief example of how you and your staff have used the DICE model (Describe, Investigate, Create & Evaluate) to address a challenging behavior of one of your residents. The communities that send us the best examples will cordless sweepers! These are great to use with residents who like to help clean, because they take away the risk of tripping and falling (no cord to worry about), and they are quiet—so no loud noises to bother others. 

Please send us your entry by July 22nd!

 

Have a great week!

Facebook Page Contest

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Hello everyone,

Starting March 25th, in addition to emailing the weekly tidbits, we will also be posting them on the EIT-4-BPSD Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/EIT-for-Behavioral-Psychological-Symptoms-of-Dementia-2012786125605006/ 

We invite you to “like” or “follow” our page, and post comments and photos! 

And while we’re on the topic of communicating ideas, consider doing what one smart group in Pennsylvania did at their community—they posted their BPSD goals and the DICE method on all the units to remind staff of their goals and the steps they can take to identify the causes of challenging behaviors and develop concrete plans to manage them. Great idea!

 

Have a wonderful week!

Attention to apathy

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Hello everyone,

“The squeaky wheel gets the oil” is a well-known proverb. In terms of challenging behaviors, the man running down the hall naked or the woman crying loudly at lunch generally get our attention more quickly than the quiet lady in room 101 who likes to keep to herself and “isn’t any trouble.”

In fact, all of these behaviors are in need of our attention, including the lady in room 101. Apathy is one of the most common and persistent of the behavioral and psychologic symptoms of dementia, and has profound consequences for morbidity and mortality. While research shows that apathy is associated with changes in brain function in people with neurodegenerative disease, it also shows that individual, caregiver and environmental factors also precipitate apathy.

Non-pharmacologic approaches to apathy have shown to be more effective (pharmacologic approaches have shown modest results), with tailored activities based on the person’s history, preferences and retained abilities. These person-centered activities can supply intrinsic motivation by capturing the interest of the person and providing them with a reward. Music therapy, multi-sensory behavioral therapy, art therapy, cognitive stimulation, and therapeutic conversation are some interventions to try.

 

We invite you (CONTEST ALERT!) to send us a tidbit about how you manage residents with apathy at your community. Did something specific you did work for a resident? What are some of your creative ideas for how to approach apathy? The communities that send us the best tidbits will win prizes! Please email them to vigne1@verizon.net.

 

Have a great week!

Share your ideas with our care community- Tidbit suggestions

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Hello everyone,

Now that we’ve reviewed the four components of “DICE” for assessing and managing behavioral issues with residents who have BPSD, it’s your turn to show us how you have used this process in your own facility.

Please send us a brief example of how you or your staff have used DICE when addressing a specific behavioral issue of a resident. The best examples will win a prize for their facility, and we’ll share the examples in future tidbits so everyone can benefit! We look forward to hearing from you. Send suggestions to vigne1@verizon.net!

Have a great week!

“I want to go home”- Strategies for responding to this request

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As we watch news coverage of the devastating effects of hurricanes Harvey and now Irma, we are reminded how important the idea of home—and feeling safe at home—can be. For most of us, thoughts of home evoke feelings of comfort, safety and familiar surroundings. It’s understandable then that when a resident with dementia says repeatedly that she wants to go home, what she may really be asking for is comfort and to feel safe. Understanding this can help staff and family members better respond to residents when they tell us they “just want to go home.”

DailyCaring.com has a helpful article on this topic, with three suggestions on how to respond when a residents tells you that he or she wants to go home: http://dailycaring.com/3-ways-to-respond-when-someone-with-alzheimers-says-i-want-to-go-home/

Lastly, this is a last call for tidbit contest entries! Please email us (vigne1@verizon.net) a brief “tidbit” of your own that describes how you or a staff member at you facility has been creative in getting residents to shower or bathe without a battle.

The facilities that email us the winning tidbit entries will each receive a gift card towards treating staff to lunch! We will also share your idea in a future weekly tidbit so your experience can help others too. We look forward to reading your great ideas….we know you have them to share!

Tips for reducing bathing stress in residents

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Below is a link to an article on Daily Caring.com that has useful tips to remember when helping to bathe a resident who has Alzheimer’s disease. We encourage you to take a quick look and share with staff, as bathing can be a stressful activity for residents and staff alike.

http://dailycaring.com/7-tips-to-get-someone-with-Alzheimers-to-take-a-bath/

We are announcing a fun contest this week for all of you…please email us (vigne1@verizon.net) a brief “tidbit” of your own that describes how you or a staff member at you facility has been creative in getting residents to shower or bathe without a battle.

The facilities that email us the winning tidbit entries will each receive a gift card towards treating staff to lunch! We will also share your idea in a future weekly tidbit so your experience can help others too. We look forward to reading your great ideas….we know you have them to share!