Dementia Journal
November 2014
 

What's In It For You?  
 
Included in each monthly issue:
  • Educational Article: "Tips from Teepa"
  • PAC Dementia Certification Programs
  • Meditations 
  • Video Education and Links
  • Living Well
5 Tips for Living with Surprising Behavior 
  
1. STEP BACK

When an interaction is not going well, you have a choice.  You can push your agenda and watch things get worse or you can step back and THINK. In your effort to be helpful you may have created a problem. Stop judging THEM. The person who is challenging you is doing the very best they can.

You need to be a really good DETECTIVE. Your brain works better than theirs, so USE it! Step back and assess their abilities. Try to figure out what might be driving their behaviour-what are you SEEING, what are you HEARING? What might be their EMOTIONAL need? Their PHYSICAL need? What are they trying to communicate? You need to see it from their point of view.

2. RESPOND (DON'T REACT)

What you thought would happen didn't happen. The person did not react the way you wanted or expected them to. You're getting FRUSTRATED and you're getting angry. What to do?

 
 

TODAY'S VOICE FOR DEMENTIA
 

Teepa is an advocate for those living with dementia and has made it her personal mission to help families and professionals better understand how it feels to be living with dementia related challenges and change. Her company, Positive Approach, LLC was founded in 2005 and offers education to family and professional care partners all over the world. Her goal? Making a difference...one mind at a time. 

 

How Can You Make a Difference? 

Earn a PAC Dementia Certification and Make a Difference...
 One Mind at a Time.

Teepa's Positive Approach™ to Care (PAC) philosophy and care partnering techniques serve as the foundation for all PAC Dementia Certifications. Each certification category includes instruction in PAC philosophy, foundational knowledge and care partnering skills including Positive Physical Approach™ and Hand Under Hand™.  Participants complete curriculum prior to attending classroom training. Upon completion of the classroom training, trainees have 8 weeks to complete the remaining requirements. 

Click to learn more about certification categories:

 Trainer, Consultant, Coach, Engagement Leader, Care Partner 

 

Dementia Certification Programs 

January 2015 


 

PAC Approved Consultant 


This training program is designed for professionals who counsel and advise families working through dementia related challenges. In addition to dementia related awareness and knowledge, Teepa teaches effective communication techniques, strategies to connect with clients in a meaningful way, and methods of providing the right resources at the right time. Trainees become certified after completing three phases of training. Upon completion of the classroom training, trainees have 8 weeks to complete the remaining requirements.

 
ConsultantCert

 
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This training program is designed for those who provide direct care to individuals living with dementia. The training day focuses primarily on practice and mastery of  PAC "care partnering" techniques, including Positive Physical Approach™ (PPA) and Hand Under Hand™ (HUH). These newly learned skills enable care partners to shift from simply "dealing with the behaviors" to creating a positive and caring environment. Learners develop observational skills needed to recognize signals of "unmet needs and growing distress" in the person they care for and respond in a way that reduces anxiety and improves quality of life.  
Click to Read More

 


 
 
This training program is designed for individuals who wish to train others in Teepa Snow's Positive Approach to Care (PAC) philosophy...teaching awareness, knowledge, and skill development in a classroom, community, or support group setting. This experiential and interactive course provides dementia related awareness and knowledge, an in-depth look into various learning styles, and facilitation techniques that engage learners. Trainees become certified after successfully completing three phases of training. Upon completion of the classroom training, trainees have 8 weeks to complete the remaining requirements.



 

Meditations

May the sun bring you energy by day.  May the moon softly restore you by night.  May the rain wash away your worries. May the breeze blow new strength into your being.  May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.
~Apache Blessing
 
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A person living with dementia expresses themselves differently in the world. 
How ever their soul does find expression, they are capable of experiencing peace, and they remain open to joy.  If individuals are treated as if their soul can no longer be expressed or as if they have lost the ability to connect with others, their life will begin
to fade.  Dementia DOES NOT rob a person of their life essence. 

They are severely robbed, however, when we fail to give them the effort and grace to find new paths for their expression or when we stop looking for what it is they are trying to express or new ways to help them to connect to the life they are still living. 

Life will continue to move all people, no matter their condition, toward growth and awareness.  We can make a difference, and serve those we love, by helping
facilitate this growth when we wonder about their expression, watch for it, and be a
part of the offering of new pathways for connection to us and their world. 

It is wise and good to seek and celebrate the beauty of each and every present moment.
New Video Education from Teepa's Care Store
Seeing It From the Other Side Part 1: Caregiver Stress & Dementia Coping Strategies

"Caregiver Stress & Coping Strategies" shares foundational education
components of what it means to be Living with Dementia.  

The first of six training DVD's from Positive Approach's new series
"Seeing it From the Other Side" this lecture style education program is broken into
helpful teachable topic chapters.  It is perfect for families, dementia resource libraries,
or classroom and in-service dementia education needs. 

For more information visit Teepa's Care Store

Living Well...Dementia World News for November



Aware:
An article from ALZForum: May 23, 2014



Knowledgeable:

By: Jytte Fogh Lokvid, Ph.D.
"I use the term CREATIVITY, not simply in the popular references to the creative arts, but in its broadest sense of how we approach everything we do throughout the day.  Creativity to me means letting go of our old notions of doing something, being open to new experiences and allowing ourselves to be open to think out of the box and go with the flow and ebb of our situation and the people we work with."


Skilled:
An initiative of the I'm Still Here Foundation, this dementia-specific cultural access program seeks to enhance the cultural and creative life of this living with dementia, including Alzheimer's.  ARTZ draws on the support and collaboration of artists and cultural institutions both nationally and internationally, as a collective resource,
to share, educate and inspire.  


Competent: 
I REMEMBER BETTER WHEN I PAINT
Individuals LIVING WELL with Dementia

"I Remember Better When I Paint" is a documentary film by Eric Ellena and Berna Huebner. The film is narrated by Olivia de Havilland and shares the many benefits of arts for people living with dementia, including Alzheimer's.  

Produced by French Connection Films and the Hilgos Foundation, 
this film celebrates care through the use of Creative Arts.  

Available on DVD at amazon.com
Will air nationwide on public television this month, November 2014  
HELP OTHERS LIVE WELL

If you know someone working or living with dementia who might benefit from the teachings of Teepa Snow, please forward this to them now. 

Be knowledgeable. Be prepared. Be positive.


If this journal was helpful to you, we would appreciate your feedback.  Please share comments and further interest with us.

 
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