South Carolina Senior Care Provider Promotes Timely Dementia Training

My Personal Experience with Dementia Training



The upstairs dayroom in Villa II at West Columbia's Agape Senior campus had been prepared for a presentation. Thirty metal chairs in rows, a table with a projector, laptop, and paperwork were in the front of the room. Next to the table stood a short, determined looking woman whom I discovered was Adelle Stanley. Adelle was waiting for people to show up for her next basic dementia training class. For the last three months Adelle has been traveling the state with a mission and purpose. She has been giving her dementia basic training presentation at every Agape assisted living community, skilled nursing facility, hospice office, doctor's office, insurance office, pharmacy or anywhere else Agape Senior employees can be found.

About five minutes before the scheduled presentation time, people started to arrive. A dietary personnel, maintenance workers, housekeepers, nurses, nursing assistants, med techs—it did not matter, all Agape employees are required to take the class. Adelle started the class at 10:00 a.m.; for the next two hours she took the group on a journey into the world of the dementia patient, a world where logic and reason are not part of the equation, but emotions, human touch, and basic human needs are always present.

It became evident early into the presentation that this was more than a job for Adelle. With emotion in her voice, she talked about how great is the need and expressed her passion for reaching the dementia patient on some level. She is an advocate and she was looking to everyone in the room to become an advocate. Adelle wove in her personal stories from her 19 years of experience with the scripted training and showed how simple acts; slight variations of technique and understanding could change completely the outcome of relating to a dementia patient.

Halfway into the training there was a stunning Power Point slide projected onto the Villa II hallway wall. The slide was a side-by-side comparison of a healthy brain next to a dementia patient's brain. There were large holes and missing sections out of the brain from the dementia patient. I believe my reaction was similar to everyone else's in the room: There is so much missing, how could anyone function with that brain?

As I was thinking this, Adelle walked over to the projected image on the wall and traced her hand along the parts of the dementia brain that were still intact. Adelle turned to face us and quietly said, “But look how much of the brain is still there to work with.” In an instant my mindset was changed. I was now seeing things from a different perspective. I could see how understanding symptoms and behavior could be useful clues for our front-line caregivers. Knowledge is power, but understanding is the key.

The bottom line is that the dementia patient is a human being with feelings and needs. He or she is someone's mother or father, grandmother or grandfather. What is important is our ability to meet each person where he or she is. I found myself wishing that my father had someone like Adelle, or someone trained by Adelle, as he progressed through his six years of dementia prior to his death. I was grateful to Adelle and Agape Senior for giving me the opportunity to attend this important training.

Being a leader in an industry requires a company to provide educational opportunities to its employees. Agape Senior remains committed to following that path. CEO Scott Middleton states, “Our goal is to provide education and training opportunities for all of our employees.Ultimately, I want to have the best trained staff anywhere in the senior care industry.”

Joe B. Nester

West Columbia South Carolina – Agape Senior

Agapé Senior’s mission is to provide integrated health services to meet the needs of senior adults in a faith-based atmosphere. The company’s philosophy is based upon its commitment to provide the best quality care possible for members of our senior adult community. We are committed to participating actively in and around the communities we serve. Call us at 800-411- 2427. Columbia, Forest Acres, Lexington, Irmo, Rock Hill, Laurens, Conway, Garden City, West Columbia

AskAgape.com

Conway Assisted Living Wins Best of the Beach

Agape Senior of the Grandstrand was voted by the readers of Horry Independent the Best Retirement Community for 2011.

Agape is a faith-based organization and a recognized leader in patient-centered hospice care, offering extensive services throughout the Grand Strand region of South Carolina. We are respected for our professional and compassionate care, allowing our patients to experience a peaceful death and their families to receive the support services they need so they have a special sense of spiritual and emotional peace. Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach, Conway, Garden City, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Pawley Island, Socastee, Bucksport, Georgetown, Marion, and Mullins, SC. Call us at 843-914-1197. AskAgape.com

Columbia Assisted Living: Who Gives Assistance in Assisted Living?

I had been having a hard time dealing with a death we had here at our facility. One lady who moved in suddenly took a turn for the worse and passed away about one week after she arrived. No one saw it coming; it completely blindsided us all.

I had found myself very fond of this resident. Her family life had never been easy. Although a very tough, witty, and sometimes extremely funny lady, her life had been full of heartbreaks and struggle. Caring for her family had been her top priority. Each time one of them struggled, she never let them struggle alone.

That same caretaking nature could be seen in the way she helped those around the facility. Constantly asking if folks needed help getting up from their seats, directing traffic to the next activity or just sitting and asking someone how he felt, she never gave up that caretaker role.

And suddenly she was gone.

I struggled with this because I was very fond of her, but it was also difficult because I felt as though this nice lady had never gotten enough of “her” time. She was always giving it, every ounce of energy she had, to her friends and family. Then, when she moved to a place where she could relax, she was gone within a week.

I ran into her granddaughter in the hallway last week. She gave me a hug and told me how happy she was that her grandmother could spend some time not worrying about her family. She could relax in a safe, fun place and do what she loved doing the most – spending time with folks who needed help.

And even though it was only a week, it was a week she had never had.

It’s times like this that give me pause as I walk the halls of our beautiful building. I see that one woman I can always count on to throw a joke my way or that nice man who always greets me with a “Hey, buddy!” each morning. I watch them as they sing their favorite hymns together or laugh about something that happened 20 years ago.

And I see how they spend time with each other. Patiently listening to the dementia resident as she tells them a story they’ve heard one thousand times before, only to laugh like it was the first time they have heard it. I see how residents invite new folks to join them in their room for a chat. I sit in amazement at their ability to care and comfort all of those within their own community.

I caught myself standing in front of the door of the lady who passed away. I was deep in thought when a wonderful, long-time resident of our facility walked up to me, patted me on the back, and said, “It was very nice that we got to know her. She sure helped a lot of people.”

This building has many caregivers. Some of them are the very people who reside in these halls. When I talk with potential residents about assisted living, I know that the “assistance” doesn’t just come from the staff. And I marvel in the fact that the lives that are assisted are not just those of the residents.

Columbia/ Forest Acres South Carolina – Agape Senior Kathwood

Agape Senior Assisted Livingof Kathwood provides senior-focused solutions. In working with seniors andtheir families, the dedicated staff works diligently to optimize quality oflife by embracing individuality and preserving dignity. Columbia, Forest Acres,Blythewood, Elgin, lugoff, Camden – Call us 803-787-1234

AskAgape.com