Seminar - Partners in Care for Professional Caregivers

“BOB”

Bob is a resident at Memory Care Manor. He is in middle stage Alzheimer disease. Most days, Bob wanders the hallways of the Manor, not recognizing the caregivers or other residents who live there.

This morning, Bob has only one shoe on and he is aimlessly pushing the linen cart down the hall. The nurse attempts to move the cart back to its position; however, Bob assumes his task of pushing the linen cart. A short time later, Bob is seen pushing one of the residents in her wheelchair into the dining room. This upsets the resident a great deal.

When Bob sits down to eat his breakfast, he takes only two mouthfuls of the cereal, then rises to leave the table, once again resuming his wandering pattern. When he sits down in the lounge, Bob sits in the chair for a short time, then he moves to the next chair for a short time. The caregivers cannot encourage Bob to finish his breakfast.

Bob’s wife arrives for a visit this morning. They have been married for over fifty years, and she has cared for Bob at home for three years prior to his admission to Memory Care Manor. This morning she has found Bob’s glasses which he had left in one of the other resident’s rooms when he was wandering.

The nurse tells the wife that Bob has been pushing the linen carts and wheelchairs around the unit. The wife replies, “ I feel that if Bob is not hurting himself or anyone else, that the behavior should be allowed.” Bob now sits in the chair, with rounded shoulders, eyes downcast, fists tight. He is not responding to his wife.

The above illustrates just the need for 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, professional caregivers will………

• be encouraged to partner in care with family caregivers
  
• foster a connection with family caregivers
  
• learn how to work together with family caregivers 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 Nursing 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.