Dementia Care Digest

 

   Official newsletter of the

Alzheimer's Foundation of America's

Dementia Care Professionals of America division

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We want to hear from you!  Contact Kristen Cribbs, AFA's national care standards manager, with questions, comments or suggestions.

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February 2015/Issue 7
A Message from AFA's National Care Standards Manager

Getting regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can help strengthen bones and muscles, control weight, improve mental health, reduce risk of developing certain health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and prevent falls (especially for older adults). During the winter months, however, unfavorable weather conditions and fewer hours of daylight can make it difficult to find the motivation to exercise. 

 

To help individuals stay active and safe when it's cold outside, the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) Go4Life initiative offers a variety of free resources. Check out Go4Life exercises on YouTube or the "Exercising in Cold Weather" tip sheet for exercise ideas. The tip sheet also offers important information about signs of hypothermia to help you keep yourself and those with whom you work safe this winter. 

 

As a dementia care partner, caring for your whole self--mentally, emotionally, and physically--is important for your own health and well being and will also help you to be a more effective care partner. DCPA hopes the above resources will help you stay healthy, safe and warm this winter!

 

In health,

Kristen Cribbs, MPH, QDCS
National Care Standards Manager
On the Job: Tips for Providing Optimal Care
Upcoming Medicare Learning Network Teleconferences on Dementia Care

The National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes and Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement are partnering during 2015 to offer a series of Medicare Learning Network Connects™ National Provider Calls. The calls will seek to broaden discussions related to quality of life, quality of care, and safety. Register for the first call, taking place on March 10 from 1:30-3pm ET.


Free, Online Dementia Course Hosted by Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

 

There is still time to enroll and participate in Johns Hopkins School of Nursing's free, online course, "Living with Dementia: Impact on Individuals, Caregivers, Communities and Societies." Led by Drs. Nancy Hodgson and Laura Gitlin, this five-week course, which began during January, is open to all and provides participants with foundational knowledge regarding the care of persons with Alzheimer's Disease and other neurocognitive disorders. Learn more and register here.

 

National Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center-Sponsored Webinar on Dementia Capability

 

On Thursday, February 12, from 3-4pm ET, the National Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center will sponsor a webinar on dementia capability, focusing on work being done in California and North Dakota to translate concepts in dementia capability into practice. Learn more and register here.

In the News
  • During a recent "NPR" interview, actress Julianne Moore discusses insights she gained about aging and Alzheimer's disease through her experience portraying a woman diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's disease in the movie "Still Alice." Listen to the interview here.
  • A study recently published in the "Canadian Journal on Aging" found that while health care aides in Canada reported high job satisfaction, they also reported significant caregiver burnout and poor pay.
  • A "NPR" piece describes the inspiring story of a 90-year old woman who is designing technology to meet the needs of baby boomers. 
  • An article in "The Atlantic" explores whether there has been a shift in the way in which our society views death given that people are living longer lives than ever before.
Continuing Education
The rapidly growing older population poses a variety of unprecedented challenges to the U.S. health care system. To better prepare the health care system to meet the needs of an aging population, researchers have been looking at hospital discharge data to explore the ways in which older Americans navigate the health care system and when they're most in need of long term care.

Findings from the National Center of Health Statistics' "National Hospital Discharge Survey" describe hospitalizations for adults aged 85 and over as compared to adults aged 65-74 and 75-84.

Learn more by viewing the report and then take the corresponding Dementia Care Digest quiz to earn one Continuing Education Unit (CEU)*. 


 

*Professionals who are sanctioned as AFA Qualified Dementia Care Providers or AFA Qualified Dementia Care Specialists must renew their AFA qualification every two years by obtaining four CEUs.

 

Every hour of continuing education equals one credit. 30 minutes of content equals 0.5 credits. A program of less than 30 minutes in total is not applicable, and all intervals of less than 30 minutes are rounded down to the nearest 30-minute mark.

Completion of each Dementia Care Digest quiz equals one CEU.

 
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