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Dressing for the Weather and Temperature
by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA
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- How much is based on activities you will be doing?
- How much is based on which clothing you see when you look in the closet or on a hook near the door?
- How much is based on daily routines and habits?
It can be a challenge to plan for outdoor weather when you are inside, to anticipate what it might feel like to be exposed to 30 F or 30 C, or to even be aware of the meaning of those numbers as they related to putting on clothing. Then, let's add in the concept of doing something active that will generate body heat versus simply going outside to sit in the park. Additionally, consider whether what you are wearing will fit under what you could possibly put on over top and if it will be difficult or easy to take off only one layer.
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Feeling Helpless in Hospitals
by Clarke Pollard, PAC Mentor
Remember the last time you were a patient in a hospital? What did you see and hear? What did you smell? How did you feel? Who was around and who was missing? Think about how confusing and disruptive your hospital stay was for you. Now imagine that you have a disease or disorder that impairs your cognitive functioning. How much more threatening and frightening would that experience have been?
You are surrounded by unfamiliar people. Most everyone you encounter is someone you have never seen before: nurses, doctors, other people being treated -- they all mix into a sea of strange faces.
You are being asked to do things you don't normally do: recount your family medical history, list your medications, hold still while something pinches you, put on a robe that fastens in the back where you can't reach. You're besieged by people asking you to do unfamiliar things.
Hospitals are unfamiliar places full of unfamiliar people doing unfamiliar things. And all this is happening when you are ill enough to require acute care.
The story below is based on every day occurrences in hospitals throughout the nation and around the world.
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Pause, Breathe, Smile
by Barbara Sphar, PAC Independent Certified Trainer
For 16 years, I was a care-partner to my mother, through her protracted journey with frontotemporal lobe dementia, and I was downright dense. This was not apparent until after her death when I experienced the PAC Trainer program.
My mother was unhappy. Nine times I moved her from place to place trying to create an environment where she would be happy. From my home to a variety of independent and assisted living facilities, then a skilled nursing center, I then brought her home again for end of life care. I spent countless hours trying to entertain her and hoped against hope she would "change" and be happy. That sounds vague, and it felt vague, too.
I stubbornly dug in my heels and missed the part about not being able to alter the disease and its manifestations.
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PAC Skills Make The Difference
This powerful DVD focuses on care partnering techniques and skills that create positive outcomes for both the care partner and the person living with dementia. Watch Teepa Snow demonstrate several techniques that serve as the foundation for her Positive Approach® to Care training programs and services. You will gain awareness and knowledge on how to use Positive Physical Approach™ (PPA) and Hand-under-Hand® (HuH), and how these care partnering techniques can help with activities of daily living.
Continue Reading
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Save
$10!
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Save $10 when you purchase
Use Coupon Code:
SKILLS0917
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Offer Expires: October 15, 2017
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How to Spend Time to Rest, Rejuvenate, and Restore
by Rosanne Burke, PAC Certified Independent Trainer
It's time to sit back and relax! If you are retired or an older adult, it is very likely that someone has made this comment to you. Sometimes it can be easier said than done. After a lifetime of going to work, raising a family, and taking care of a home, what does it mean to relax? Maybe you haven't had much time to relax over the years and now you're thinking to yourself: What do I do with all this time?
When you no longer have the long list of responsibilities that used to fill your time, the days can seem long. Your children are busy with their own lives, and maybe your spouse has passed on. Your physical health may not be as good as it used to be, and you are limited with the amount of physical activity or movement that you can do. You may find yourself confined to your home for the most part.
There are seven days in a week and 24 hours in a day which means you have 168 hours a week. When you subtract the time you spend sleeping, doing self-care, and a few chores around the house, what else is there to do?
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Lessons Learned from a Pearl Expert
by Marlena Meyer, PAC Certified Independent Trainer, Poland
In 2012, I began postgraduate studies in gerontology at Medical University and was introduced to a term, Geriatric Giants. One of those was Alzheimers disease. It is hard to admit, but looking from time perspective, I have to say that I gained no valuable knowledge about it at classes at all. After graduation, I signed up as a volunteer in a nursing home to get to know more about this phenomenon. I was assigned to a group of people diagnosed with Alzheimers. That was a quite new initiative in that facility; its main background was to handle issues occurring at meal times more effectively.
The management decided to separate residents with Alzheimers diagnosis and create a dedicated space for them. "Are you going to the kindergarten?" I was asked the first day by one of the staff members, on my way up to the day room. "Oops" I thought. I entered the room, said "Good morning" and the residents replied "Good morning". "Can I join you"? "Yes, you can, have a sit" answered a nice old lady sitting on the right. She and the other five people were busy doing some stuff, painting I guess. They were not engaged, they did stuff. Soon, lunch began and the symptoms were more visible - they got pierogis with meat (kind of tortellini, but bigger, to make you more familiar with some Polish food). One lady ate with her hands taking the filling out and eating the dough only, another lady ate quickly and looked like a hamster. But the lady on the right was fine. "Not so bad" I thought. And she got up and nicely said: "Thank you all for your company and lunch, but I must go home, before my husband returns from work. And dinner has to be ready when my sons are back from school". She headed towards the exit. "Don't let her out" the therapist said to me, but it was too late. She left. This is how I learned that this very nice elderly lady's husband died years ago and her sons were 50+. I had no idea that I had a pleasure to meet and great an Emerald. I should've been somehow prepared for what I saw - I had a diploma in gerontology after all. But I wasn't.
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A Music Moment with Mary Sue!
by Mary Sue Wilkinson,
Founder of Singing Heart to Heart
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PAC Celebrates
10 Years with
Public Skills Days!
Grow your PAC Skills
at our first ever Level 1 and Level 2 courses!
TEN YEARS?!
It is hard to believe it has been so long here at Positive Approach® to Care. This year we are celebrating ten years in true PAC style. We are offering more of Teepa through webinars and more skills development through our brand new Public PAC Skills Days.
To grow our Public PAC Skills Days Teepa has worked hard to get a few of our PAC team members ready to deliver these days in their local areas. This allows us to offer them more often and at a much lower rate than our certification courses.
Introducing our PAC Trainer Mentors who will offer these courses:
After 10 years of building her company, Teepa has found a way to share the skills of Positive Physical Approach™ (PPA), Hand-under-Hand® (HuH) and GEMS® identification. Check out the following video
and then follow the links for registration to your local Public PAC Skills Day. Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance and a free invitation to show your skill for a pin prior to the Level 2 course.
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Legal Issues Management
Part 3 of 4: What's Not Happening That
Needs To Happen
by
Louis Levenson, JD
Often when there are issues with family members who are living with dementia, there is the denial; and with denial is delay. The same is true with implementing the legal strategies that should be put in place. The message here on both is DON'T DELAY. Often, it is what is not happening that causes the most harm, legally, to the family member who either can't help with the legal process, can't remember, OR worst of all, will reach a stage of disease such that no lawyer will allow that person to sign a legal document. Don't procrastinate with either addressing medical needs or legal needs for one who is, or shortly will be, dealing with declining stages of dementia.
Set up a separate file box in the house somewhere and start filling it up with the needed legal documents.
What should be done? Here is a short laundry list of documents to put in your file box.
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Forethought and Preplanning
by Wendy Wells-Chanampa, PAC Certified Independent Trainer
"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining".
- John F. Kennedy
[State of the Union Address January 11, 1962]
As we grow older, anything can happen. Preplanning makes sense. As a professional guardian, and one who assists elders, I have witnessed firsthand the results of not having a plan in place. Your wishes may or may not be carried out as hospitals and medical professionals are required to sustain life. This could mean having a ventilator or other life sustaining measures regardless of your brain health. One
'
s body may be kept alive indefinitely regardless of quality of life. These decisions should be made by you and with preplanning; that is possible. Everyone should have, at the very least, advance directives, which include a DNR, a Living Will, documents naming a Power of Attorney for healthcare and one for finances, and a Last Will and Testament. Those best prepared have also done a life care plan.
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"I don't need training...I've been doing this for years!"
Sound familiar? Care staff often resist or resent training because they believe that they're already
trained. And, in fact, they're right. They have been trained and most, if not all, believe they already have the knowledge and skills to do their job well. So, when they're scheduled for training, the resistance begins.
It doesn't make any difference what new skills you're trying to teach if you don't first help the learner understand the why and how...why the way we approach and try to help people living with dementia matters and how to do it in a way that creates positive relationships and outcomes.
What makes Positive Approach to Care training different?
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2018 Certifications Calendar Coming Soon
with exciting dates and locations across the US, Canada, the UK, and more!
In the mean time, there are a few certifications events still left in 2017. Join us!
Become a PAC Certified Independent
Engagement Leader!
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Upcoming Events
September 19, 2017
Educational Day
Kingsport, TN
September 20, 2017
29th Annual WRAP
Conference
Stevens Point, WI
September 21, 2017
Educational Day
Indianapolis, IN
September 27, 2017
Educational Conference
Denver, CO
September 28, 2017
Free Workshop
New Richmond, WI
September 29, 2017
11th Annual Caregiver Conference
New Richmond, WI
October 12, 2017
Activity Professionals Conference
Nashville, IN
October 13, 2017
Walled Lake, MI
October 13, 2017
Atlanta, GA
October 24, 2017
Educational Day
Edmonds, WA
November 8, 2017
Educational Day and Evening
Grand Rapids, MI
November 11, 2017
2nd Annual National
Caregiving Conference
Chicago, IL
November 15, 2017
Nursing and Social Workers Conference
Bolton Landing, NY
November 16, 2017
Educational Conference
Columbus, OH
November 28, 2017
Educational Day
Charlottesville, VA
November 30, 2017
Educational Day
Livonia, MI
December 7, 2017
Transforming the Journey
Yountville, CA
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New Webinars
Coming Soon!
October 2, 2017
Bathing - Getting Clean Issues
for PLwD
for Friends / Families
for Professionals
October 3, 2017
Dementia Care and Support for Male Care Providers
for PLwD
for Friends / Families
for Professionals
October 13, 2017
Sexuality and Intimacy
for PLwD
for Friends / Families
for Professionals
October 25, 2017
Driving Under the
Influence...of Dementia
for PLwD
for Friends / Families
for Professionals
October 27, 2017
Dementia and the
LGBT Community
for PLwD
for Friends / Families
for Professionals
October 31, 2017
From Preventative to
Palliative Care
for PLwD
for Friends / Families
for Professionals
More...
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Upcoming Webinars in the
Getting Connected Series
BUILDING SKILL TO SUPPORT GEMS®
Click on the
green events
to register
9-10:30 am EDT
(Late Stage Dementia)
October 27, 2017
9-10:30 am EDT
9-10:30 am EST
9-11 am EST (2 hours)
UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT DEMENTIAS
September 25, 2017
10-11:30 am EDT
October 30, 2017
10-11:30 am EDT
November 20, 2017
10-11:30 am EDT
December 18, 2017
10-11:30 am EDT
Cost per webinar is
$20.00 per session
(includes access to the recording)
live webinar events?
Access the recordings
on our
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Book your event today for staff training, family nights, professional referral source events, or refresher workshops
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PAC Training increases awareness, knowledge, and confidence among care staff and educates resident families.
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Multiple Titles Available in DVD
or
via Online Streaming
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Be Brave Enough To Start A Conversation That Matters
CLICK HERE
To Learn More
About
Caring Conversations
and the
Caring Conversations
Tool Kit
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Becoming Dementia Aware
Would you like to learn how to begin changing your approach and interactions to better serve those living with dementia?
Learn from the comfort of your own home! Sign up today to experience Becoming Dementia Aware. In this three hour online course, Teepa takes you through the areas of the brain affected by dementia and introduces skills and strategies for better ways to care.
The course is broken down into nine sections and includes the following topics: Diving Deeper into Dementia, Better Ways to Care, Seeing and Responding to the Changes, Greet Before You Treat, Positive Physical Approach (PPA), Skills In Depth, After PPA, Caring for All, and Content Review
Whether you're a professional or family care partner, this content will help you begin to change your approach with people living with dementia.
Enrollment Fee: $100
After completing the course, you have the option of signing up for remote/virtual coaching with a PAC Mentor to help reinforce the newly learned content and practice Positive Physical Approach™ and Hand-under-Hand®.
Mentoring Fee: $65/hour
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