Online Dementia Journal 
Using Visual and Verbal Cues to Guide With Care 
by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA 
 

The Cat's Tale
by Greg & Charleen Phelps, PAC Mentors  

"Have you seen the cat? Where is the cat? That's my cat!"
 
"Joey" is a new addition to the long term care facility where our family member who lives with Dementia resides. He is a black and white cat who has settled in and created many more than nine lives.
 
So what's Joey got to do with Care? He has created a wonderful world of story and exploration. Residents are inspired by past and present to tell the tale of the cat.
 
Joey is actually a barn cat from the local area. Or is he?
 
"I brought that cat here from my house."
 
"I rescued that cat from down Island."
 
"That's my cat from the beach."
 
"Help me find my cat because we are on our way to Montreal."
 
Joey reminds us to stay in the moment and go with the flow. His story changes and evolves and carries the truth of the moment.

 
Fascinatin' Rhythm
by Tracy Ouellette, PAC Scheduling Coordinator 
 
Rhythm is a very interesting word; it has so many meanings and ways to use it when referring to our lives. I will be the first to tell you I can't dance, I have no rhythm but I do have a lot of energy in the morning because of my circadian rhythm. My lifestyle is very relaxed, it has a very easy rhythm but the rhythm of my speech is very erratic depending on the state of my mind. Then there is the rhythm of your heart if we feel like diving into the medical dictionary. For this article, I would like to  you to know two definitions of rhythm that I like.
 
Assisting with Grooming & Hygiene 
Five Tips to Make GEMS Shine
by Deirdre Thornton, MRSc, OTReg (Ont),
PAC Certified Independent Trainer & Coach
 
Think about your daily grooming routine. Do you perform a particular sequence of steps each time? Do you have a favorite personal product? How do the results of your grooming routine make you uniquely you? How do you feel when you complete the routine?
 
For a Person Living with Dementia (PLwD), how is their grooming and hygiene the same or different than it used to be? 
 
Men and women alike have grooming and hygiene routines that create a sense of unique identity throughout their lifetime; the same routine performed on a daily basis over decades: shaving, applying makeup, styling hair or manicuring nails.
 
However, with the onset and progression of dementia things have changed. "I am who I was, but I'm different - I've lost skill, language, and safety awareness."  As care partners, how can we support a PLwD to perform the grooming routines that reflect their identity - still deeply embedded within the individual? 
Right On Cue! 
by Mary Sue Wilkinson,
Founder of Singing Heart to Heart 


Stimulating Activities to Boost Your Brain
by Rosanne Burke, PAC Certified Independent Trainer  
 
Do your days just fly by? Are you constantly thinking about the next item on your to-do list? Can't get to sleep at night because your brain won't stop? For many people, keeping busy is not an issue at all. Our brain is constantly being stimulated with all of the incoming data from the world around us. In fact, it would be fair to say that it would be good for many of us to stop and smell the roses just to give our brain a break!
 
For a person living with dementia, however, life may slow down considerably as abilities become affected. Getting enough mental stimulation will be important for both the person's brain health and quality of life. However, being able to keep yourself busy, if you have dementia, may not come easy. Your natural ability to initiate a task, become engaged with a hobby, or to participate in an activity may become altered.  
 
The Journey of Discovery
A Meditation
by Reverend Linn Possell, PAC Lead Mentor Coach
 
"The true journey of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having fresh eyes."
 
- Marcel Proust
 
The journey of dementia can be a journey of discovery, one in which we can find new landscapes if we look with fresh eyes. But this can be a difficult thing to do. Has there been a time when you looked at a person living with dementia with whom you are connected, and thought, "Where did they go?" It can feel like it is difficult to find our loved one because dementia can make it hard for someone to live or look the way they and we are used to. While this can be a trying time, we still want to stay connected to, and have a relationship with, our loved one.
 
Highlighting Spotlight!
The Dementia Spotlight Foundation
by  D. Lee Higgins M.S., PhD

In 2012, Whitney Oeltman's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The physician delivered the news and wished them "good luck" in a blithe manner as he opened the door for them to exit. Whitney's training and experience as a social worker sprang into action as she searched for resources to help her mom and dad figure out their next steps. Given the number of people with dementia in the country, she assumed that she would be able to link her parents into a coordinated system of education, skill building, decent medical care, and find high levels of social and community support. Shocked and disheartened by what she found, Whitney and her mother, Linda Demarlo, were determined to turn their struggles and negative experiences into positive action. In the fall of 2016 they founded Dementia Spotlight Foundation with the mission of providing a "guiding light" for discovering the connections, direction, support, and resources that they had hoped to find. 
 

Re-Imagine Life with Dementia
Engage, Empower, Enable!
by Kathy Tuckey, PAC Speaker 
 
For three days, June 25-27, 2017, Atlanta was the site of the Dementia Action Alliance's first North American Dementia Conference - "Re-Imagine Life with Dementia - Engage, Empower, Enable!"  It was an amazing conference filled with plenary and breakout sessions, a technology showcase, and a creative art exhibition.  
 
The conference brought together individuals living with dementia, care partners, agency providers, community organizers, interested individuals, and technology pioneers. In her conference welcome letter, Jackie Pinkowitz, Chair, DAA Board of Directors and Founder asked that attendees "come together with open heart and open minds to be inspired, engaged, and empowered to express oneself."  From the opening session with keynote Brian LeBlanc, DAA Advisory Council Member and Dementia Alliance International Board Member, and the first plenary panel session of five baby boomers and younger living with varying forms of dementia sharing their experiences and perspectives of living with dementia, to the closing sessions where the opening plenary panel returned to share their perspectives about what they heard throughout the conference, you could not help but be engaged, inspired, and empowered. 


A Heart Full of GEMS
  
Do your kids spend time with a grandparent who has dementia? Not sure how to explain that grandma still loves you but is different? Dementia is often difficult for an adult to understand; it is even more difficult for a child.
 
A Heart Full of GEMS is a beautifully illustrated book that teaches children to pay attention to, and share in the human connection, that can be maintained when someone is living with dementia. In this extraordinary story of love, Abel is taught by a wise peacock how to look for the precious characteristics that make his grandmother special and to meet her where she is in the progression of her disease.

Continue Reading
 
 

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A Heart Full of GEMS and spend a total of $60 or more!
 
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Offer Expires: September 15, 2017
Develop YOUR skills and your TEAM to help make every day meaningful in the lives of those living with dementia.
 
 


Click on the green events below
to learn more or register.

 
PAC Certified Independent Trainers share awareness and knowledge with others.

November 2-3, 2017
Vancouver, WA 

PAC Certified Independent Coaches help others build the skills needed to provide better care.


PAC Certified Independent Engagement Leaders
are trained to provide opportunities in Activities, Adult Day Service Programs, and Dementia Care and Residential Settings
 
Phoenix, AZ
 
 
 
August 2017
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Close-up top-view photo of calendar with a datum circled by young woman with red nails with a back marker, concept of time management at work

August 25, 2017
PAC Skill Proficiency
Training Workshop

Hamilton, Scotland

August 29, 2017
13th Annual Caregiver Conference
Midland, TX

August 30, 2017
Educational Day
Grapevine, TX

September 13, 2017
Convention & Trade Show
Richmond, VA

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 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
Charlottsville, VA

November 30, 2017
Educational Day
Livonia, MI

December 7, 2017
Transforming the Journey
Yountville, CA


 
 
Book your event today for staff training, family nights, professional referral source events, or refresher workshops .
Call
877-877-1671
or   

Upcoming Webinars in the
Getting Connected Series



BUILDING SKILL TO SUPPORT GEMS®

Click on the
green events
to register
 
 
(Mid Stage Dementia)
September 22, 2017
9-10:30 am EDT

(Late Stage Dementia)
October 27, 2017
9-10:30 am EDT

Creating Pleasure with Rubies
(Late Stage Dementia)
November 17, 2017
9-10:30 am EDT

December 15, 2017
9-11 am EDT (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)

  
Unable to attend the
live webinar events?

Access the recordings
on our




 
PAC Training increases awareness, knowledge, and confidence among care staff and educates resident families.
Call 
877-877-1671 
or 
 


Check out these great tools from the Pines of Sarasota Education and Training Institute


Multiple Titles Available in DVD
or
via Online Streaming

 



Be Brave Enough To Start A Conversation That Matters

CLICK HERE
To Learn More
About
Caring Conversations
and the
Caring Conversations
Tool Kit
 


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

 
Teepa Snow 
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.
 
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 your comments and further interest with us.

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