You have learned the basics of ensuring residents are safe, bathed, and fresh, have eaten, and are not spending all day in their beds. But is there more to quality care than this? This module for frontline staff pushes a “good enough” mindset. Empathy, dignity-filled care, happy and comfortable residents and loved ones, and feeling pride in our work are pillars in making memory care something rockstar worthy!

If we don’t understand what is happening in the brain with dementia, it may be difficult to understand what we can and cannot expect from residents in memory care communities and programs. This module helps us better understand what dementia does to the personhood, personality, and experiences of a resident so we can interact with true dignity, kindness, and understanding rather than unrealistic expectations. This is the bedrock of functioning in dementia care, the nuts and bolts of what is happening in the brain, and how it works itself out in the day to day.

We know that the disease of dementia progresses and that there are different stages, but how do we know which stage an individual is in and what that means? This module breaks down the stages and explains how an individual’s stage is determined. It also explores/explains/considers/discusses the importance of ensuring residents and participants are well-matched with others so they can feel successful, enjoy the day, and have their dignity consistently secured. Placing each resident in the right level of care is crucial to quality care!

Contrary to popular belief, knowing about dementia is not the end-all to quality dementia care. Knowing the resident or participant is actually paramount to knowing the nuts and bolts of the disease. In this module, we deep dive into the beauty, value, and even sacredness of knowing and seeing our residents as individuals with stories, histories, preferences, habits, nuance, and comforts. Knowing these things makes dementia care so much more enjoyable and colorful! This module teaches us what it might feel like if we start to lose parts of who we are so we can better empathize with our residents. The more we know and understand, the more profound each day in memory care feels.

Module Three and Four fit hand in hand with Module Five. If you understand dementia and the resident, navigating tricky or challenging behaviors becomes a different kind of experience. It’s as if you have a new lens to see the same behavior. This module goes through some specific behaviors and discusses potential creative responses to achieve more harmonious outcomes. This module also leans heavily on treating residents as adults and interacting with dignity and respect, despite a disease and despite their behaviors. With a high professional and ethical standard, our response to tricky behaviors should be nothing less than honorable and full of integrity.

This is a fun module that practices empathy and a bit of teamwork. If we have learned that knowing our residents is paramount in dementia care, it is important that we also know ourselves and our teammates. Knowing each other allows us to empathize with our residents and it increases our respect for our colleagues and peers. Practicing respect and dignity is not just a skill to be directed to residents, their families, and decision-makers. When human kindness is raised across the board, the quality of service is elevated and mutual respect can be found in the entire workforce, including in the lunchroom and behind closed doors. Also discussed in this module is the energy you bring into a room.

I’m not sure if I have ever been in any dementia training where at least one person does not ask the obvious question, “How can I make sure I don’t get dementia?” While we still have a lot to learn, science can tell us so much already, and there are things we can do to decrease our likelihood of getting dementia. This module walks us through some basic daily choices and behaviors that will reduce the risk, based on what we know so far.

No resident comes to dementia care alone. This is a module focused on customer service to those we serve beyond the resident. This module discusses how we can professionally interact with and best serve all who come connected to a resident. This module also reminds us of the importance of respecting legal and practical lines of privacy, family dynamics, ongoing or past elder abuse investigations, histories of abuse and trauma, and other complicated storylines.

Guidance Consultation is intended for any informal, unpaid family caregiver on whom the responsibility of care has fallen. Whether you recently learned of a loved one’s memory loss diagnosis or have been in the thick of caregiving for several years, it is essential to know that you are not alone.

Are you looking to enhance your offerings to your residents’ loved ones? Support Groups allow caregivers to make new friends, learn they are not alone in the caregiving journey, and make things easier or more enjoyable throughout navigating care.

Educational modules for professional caregivers. These modules are intended for formal caregivers working in memory care communities, skilled care communities, adult day services, home health care agencies, hospice care organizations, and shared housing.

Educational modules for family and informal caregivers. These modules are intended for family caregivers, unpaid volunteers, fellow church members, neighbors, or anyone that has found themselves “informally” standing alongside someone with memory impairment.