The Importance of Personalization in Long Term Care Communities By Jennifer Brush, MA, CCC/SLP An individual’s possessions represent a lifetime of memories, achievements and activities. It is vital that new residents be allowed to bring some of their favorite and special items of furniture and belongings with them when moving into a residential setting. Care…
I am pleased to welcome Melissa Cohn Bernstein, one of our guest bloggers this month. Melissa and I have collaborated on online learning projects together for a number of years. Melissa owns Dynamic Learning Online, an excellent source of continuing education for health care professionals. Thank you Jennifer for inviting us to Guest Blog for…
I am very pleased to introduce you to our guest blogger this week, Kathy Birkett, RDN. Kathy is a registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist with over thirty years of experience helping patients, clients and their family members achieve healthy lives through nutrition. She has provided nutrition advice to people in a variety of settings,…
Living with Purpose By Jennifer Brush, MA, CCC/SLP Each and every one of us likes to feel that we are needed. We like to help out, make a difference and be useful. Helping others adds purpose and meaning to our life. Completing a job-well-done gives a boost to our self-esteem. People with dementia have the…
In honor of Better Hearing and Speech month, I’d like to say a few words about communication and the relationships we have with our loved ones with dementia. I’d like to share a story with you. Last year I worked with a client who lived with frontotemporal degeneration. I made a once weekly home…
Spring is finally here! Those of us who live in colder climates have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring. Although it snowed here is Ohio just a few days ago, it looks like we will be seeing green grass and a few buds on the trees for Easter. In fact, my daffodils are beginning…
Rather than putting excess demands on the impaired memory of someone with dementia, help the person by compensating for cognitive changes. Find a spot in your home that is centrally located, or a spot where you often spend time. Take down wall decor, clear up the clutter and create a memory center in your home…
Individuals with dementia have difficulty filtering out irrelevant noise from the environment and focusing on relevant sounds pertinent to their communication partner. When noise bothers people with dementia it can cause them to become agitated and restless. Background noise hinders communication because it affects the ability of people with dementia to hear and focus on…
