Seminar - Partners in Care for Family Caregivers

“Celebration of Life”

Around the table sat Hilda, Eleanor, Dorothy, Nelson, Eileen, Joyce, Hetty, and Cecilia. They have been invited to a “celebration of life” sponsored by family and friends at “Memory Care Manor,” the nursing home where they reside.

The guests are sharing a cup of tea and a cookie and sharing stories of their past. When the professional caregiver presents each individual with a flower, the family caregiver contributes some biographical information about the person. By the end of the celebration, everyone has a wonderful sense of who the person was prior to the diagnosis of dementia.

The above illustrates just how invaluable family input can be when caring for persons with dementia. Although professional caregivers have the technical expertise, it is the family members who have the biographical expertise. This information is critical in embracing who the person was prior to the diagnosis of dementia. Without family input, professional staff may struggle, not always understanding the reason for certain behaviors and resistance in care.

In this seminar, family caregivers will………

• be encouraged to partner in care with professional caregivers
  
• foster a connection with professional caregivers
  
• learn how to work together with professional caring staff in a timely, professional and caring manner
  
• understand that this process is dynamic and ever changing as the needs of the person with dementia changes
  
• be empowered by utilizing the Family Care Plan
  

The family caregiver needs to and wants to be involved in care, however, is often not included in the Circle of Care for their loved one. Why is this? What is happening? And how is it that professional caregivers are delivering the very best care they can, but family members may perceive that their loved ones are not receiving quality care. Where is the gap? This seminar, “Partners in Care,” will answer these questions and more.