AGENDA
7:45 - 8:30 Registration
8:30 - 12:00 Morning Session (break 10:15 - 10:30)
12:00 - 1:15 Lunch (on your own)
1:15 - 4:30 Afternoon Session (break 2:45 - 3:00)
1
Morning Session

8:30 to 12:00

  • Why Do They Do That? Understanding Symptoms and Behaviors in Dementia

    • This session will help care partners better understand why people living with dementia may sometimes say or do things that are unexpected and/or challenging.
    • Focus on understanding the many changes that occur in the brain during the progression of the disease.
    • Will help learners develop better communication skills when working with people living with dementia by emphasizing the value of empathetic and supportive communication.

  • Changing Resistance to Care - to Participation in Care

    • This session will instruct learners in effective strategies for helping people with dementia during personal care, reducing resistance to care.
    • It will enable learners to develop better observational skills to recognize and intervene effectively when behavioral challenges occur.
    • Emphasis placed on the value of matching helping behaviors to the person's needs and retained abilities to promote a sense of control and self-direction.
2
Afternoon Session

1:15 to 4:30

  • Developing Activities that have Meaning for Those Living with Dementia

    • This session will help mental health professionals and caregivers develop and offer activity programs that are appropriate and effective when residents have various degrees of cognitive impairment.
    • Emphasis will be placed on providing caregivers with the skills needed to determine the residents remaining skills and interests and then selecting activities that would promote interaction and engagement while reducing distress and isolation.

  • Living with Dementia During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Lessons Learned

    • This session will discuss practical and realistic strategies and techniques to reduce risk and provide quality care for people living with dementia in residential settings
    • The goal of maintaining a six-foot social distancing boundary among people living with dementia in residential care setting is simply not logical, reasonable, humane or achievable without causing potentially irreparable harm. To support both the health care providers choosing to provide care and the individuals living in these settings, something more and different is needed.
    • Different, person-centered working practices and routines to optimize the well- being of all involved will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, learners will be able to:

  1. Describe selected key differences between normal and not normal aging.
  2. Identify effective versus typical caregiver responses to common behaviors.
  3. Discuss common causes for refusals and resistance to care.
  4. Demonstrate key verbal and physical care skills that can improve initial interactions.
  5. Describe methods that assistance should be modified based on level of dementia and brain changes, personal history and preferences, and caregiver approach and behavior.
  6. Use selected activities and hands-on skills to promote resident participation and engagement, regardless of the level of cognitive impairment.
  7. Determine whether PLwD will be able to adhere to social distancing expectations without experiencing significant losses in quality of life and inability to appreciate the value of the containment efforts.
  8. Use some simple guidelines to promote mobility, interactivity, well-being, and sustain existing abilities of each PLwD during a pandemic while reducing the risks for transmission among individuals in the setting (including staff)