New personalized training program helps people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s

An adult daughter watches in disbelief as Alzheimer’s disease relentlessly diminishes her mother’s ability to function.

She says: “Alzheimer’s disease is so powerful in that it seems to cause more hurt and pain for the family than for the person who has it. My mom is a retired physical education teacher who had been physically and socially active all her life — that is until Alzheimer’s interfered with her ability and desire to continue.”

A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, for which there is no cure, is expected to afflict nearly half of all seniors over the age of 85. This can strike fear in the hearts of many families, but now there is help.

Home Instead Senior Care® is launching a ground-breaking program, Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementia’s CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and Education℠ Training Program, to help the many families who are dealing with the challenging behaviours of people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementias at home.

Dementia is the umbrella term for the different conditions that cause the brain to fail; Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. According to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network, families caring for seniors with Alzheimer’s at home deal with a number of common challenging behaviours such as; delusions, anger, aggression, wandering and refusal to eat.

The new Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and Education℠ Program helps remove some of the dread associated with these diseases. This unique program provides personal and customized training for family caregivers looking after a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease at home. It is based on a technique called Capturing Life’s Journey, which involves gathering information about the person prior to their having the disease, such as their history, passions and hobbies.

This innovative approach helps families keep seniors with dementia engaged in daily life by using their stories and experiences to provide comfort and support, and to reduce the effects of behaviour that leads to unhappiness.

Since people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease have difficulty with short-term memory, experts say, the Capturing Life’s Journal approach helps tap into the long-term memory.

“The challenge is how to customize care for people with brain issues,” said Dr. Amy D’Aprix, a gerontologist, author and public speaker. “Here is a professional training program for both professional caregivers and family caregivers that is not just a couple of hours of training. It teaches caregivers how to provide a higher level of care that is customized so they can connect with the person with dementia.”

D’Aprix was part of the expert panel that developed content for the Alzheimer’s disease or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and Education℠ Program.
Home Instead Senior Care’s professional CAREGivers℠ are trained in the Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementias CARE Program and are applying the techniques with their clients.

Help for Alzheimer’s Families provides information and resources that can help family caregivers understand Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and the changes they can expect to see in their loved one. With the increased knowledge of Alzheimer’s and how to deal with it, family caregivers will be better able to cope with the stress of their responsibilities.

Home Instead Senior Care is a leading provider of home care and companionship services for seniors in their own homes and in care facilities. For more information visit us online at www.homeinstead.com.

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