Group Education for Frontline Caregivers
These modules are intended for paid frontline staff and formal caregivers who are working in various communities including but not limited to memory care communities, skilled care communities, adult day services, home health care agencies, hospice care organizations, shared housing, and many, many, many more.
The Benefit of Educational Modules to the Frontline Staff
In today’s world, all memory care leaders and frontline staff should be demanding more than the minimum educational requirements for basic care in memory care communities. Far beyond meeting basic needs, we, as professional caregivers, should be striving for days filled with more life, energy, purpose, passion, joy, humor, movement, and meaning. Isn’t that how we would want our care to be if we were in their shoes?
These modules hope to breathe a bit of life, thoughtfulness, and empathy into the care that we, on the frontline, offer those with memory loss. To truly start seeing what dignifying and respectful care looks like for all individuals at any stage in life. When Professional Caregivers succeed in learning how to operate with this heightened quality of care, we find that the residents, loved ones, and staff mutually benefit!
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, shared housing, or any other organization where employees are paid to care for those with memory impairments.
What Can Professional Caregivers Expect?
Each educational module is one hour long and intended for Paid Frontline Staff. Modules can be purchased separately at an hourly rate or in groups. Hourly costs are reduced as modules are added. One full day of eight hours can also be purchased with significant savings.
When a package is purchased, there may be no more than 30 days between any two modules, otherwise, modules will be priced at the individual rate rather than the discounted package rate.
Modules 1-3
Module One: The Making of a Rockstar Caregiver; Beyond the Essentials
Module Two: The Why Behind the Misunderstandings in Dementia Care
Module Three: Where Are We At in The Stages and Diagnosis of Dementia?
Modules 4-5
Module Four: Finding our Residents’ Love Languages; Learning the Dance of Communication
Module Five: The Not-So-Secret Sauce of Navigating Tricky Behaviors in Dementia Care
Modules 6-8
Module Six: How Knowing Ourselves Helps Us Love Our Residents Better
Module Seven: The Train of Successful Aging Never Stops, Even when Dementia Hijacks a Ride
Module Eight: A Resident Comes as a Package Deal; How to Love and Serve Additional Stakeholders
Staff Modules Short Descriptions
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Module One: The Making of a Rockstar Caregiver; Beyond the Essentials
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!
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Module Two: The Why Behind the Misunderstandings in Dementia Care
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.
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Module Three: Where Are We At in The Stages and Diagnosis of Dementia?
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!
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Module Four: Finding our Residents' Love Languages; Learning the Dance of Communication
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.
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Module Five: The Not-So-Secret Sauce of Navigating Tricky Behaviors in Dementia Care
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.
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Module Six: How Knowing Ourselves Helps Us Love Our Residents Better
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.
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Module Seven: The Train of Successful Aging Never Stops, Even when Dementia Hijacks a Ride
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.
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Module Eight: A Resident Comes as a Package Deal; How to Love and Serve Additional Stakeholders
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.
Schedule Your Dementia Training
If you’d like to schedule a one-month or six-month support group for yourself, your memory care community, frontline staff, or professional caregivers please contact Dragonfly Senior Navigation using the form below.
Dragonfly Senior Navigation Services LLC
Dragonflyseniornavigation@gmail.com
(630) 470-1910
1770 S. Randall Rd. Ste A, #267
Geneva, IL 60134
ALL SERVICES
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Consulting
Our guidance consultation is intended for individual caregivers and family members caring for loved ones with a memory loss diagnosis. Whether you’ve been “in the thick” of caregiving for years or are new to the responsibilities of your role, our services ensure you are not alone.
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Support Groups
Let’s partner to enhance the care of loved ones. If you’re part of a memory care community and looking to improve the care available to your residents’ loved ones, our support groups allow caregivers to make new friends and learn they are not alone in the caregiving journey, making things easier or more enjoyable throughout navigating care.
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Frontline Caregivers
These are group education modules for professional caregivers. They 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.
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Educational Modules
Individual or group educational modules for families and caregivers. These modules are intended for family caregivers, unpaid volunteers, fellow church members, neighbors, or anyone who finds themselves “informally” standing alongside someone with memory impairment.