Hello everyone, We know that evening hours can sometimes be difficult for people with dementia, so this week we have a few ideas for how to help residents relax and get to sleep more easily. Have a staff or a family member give the person a gentle hand or back massage using a lightly scented […]
Tag: Envrionment
Delayed Onset PTSD in People with Dementia
Hello everyone, This weekend, as we honor the sacrifices of the thousands of soldiers killed in wars fought on behalf of our country, we are also reminded of the living soldiers who must still deal with the aftermath of battle, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. In a review published a […]
Tips for Integrating Person-centered Approaches into Care Plans
Hello everyone, Many of you are working on integrating more person-centered approaches into your care plans, and looking for ways that GNAs and other staff can easily access information about the social histories and preferences of residents, which is critical information when caring for people who have dementia. Those “golden nuggets” of information can help […]
Use your Sleuthing Skills for the Second Step of the DICE Model
Hello everyone, In last week’s tidbit, we discussed the DICE process for assessing and managing behavioral issues in residents with BPSD. We focused on the “D”—describing a resident’s behavior with specific details that provide important clues about the cause of the behavior. This week we focus on the “I”—Investigate. Once we have a detailed description of […]
Are Your Halls Dull?
Hello everyone, This week, we’d like you to think about the environment in your facility and how it may influence behavior and/or encourage or discourage physical activity among your residents. Remember, if we can help residents stay engaged in pleasant ways, then they may be less likely to become anxious, depressed or agitated. They may also […]
Decreasing use of antipsychotic medications….
We thought you would find this recent article interesting as you and your staff work to improve the lives of your residents with dementia and decrease the use of antipsychotic medications as much as possible. The article discusses the results of several research trials and offers some approaches you may like to try: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/19/537907127/for-dementia-patients-engagement-can-improve-mood-and-quality-of-life In […]
Environmental influence on resident behavior
As promised, here is the first of the “Weekly Tidbits” we’ll be sending every Sunday to provide ideas and motivation to you and your staff as you work to address behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) with your residents. If you’d like additional members of your staff to receive the tidbits, please email Erin […]