Sensitivity Training for Caregivers of People with Dementia

Please wipe this mess off of my face. Please!

Don’t go so fast, I can’t swallow! I’m not ready for a drink yet!

Is this bite going to be hot or cold?

Sweet or bitter?

Pureed meat or pudding?

Please wipe my face!

There was an opportunity in town that, as a caregiver, I couldn’t pass up. It was one of the early sensitivity training programs for caregivers at Bethany Homes, a care facility near my own home. This sensitivity training program is mandatory for their staff, but they allow other care homes to use it as well. My role as an elder care columnist gave me a pass to take part in the course. What I didn’t know was that they would make me their pet target.

What sensitivity training isn’t
Sensitivity training cannot simulate the actual experience of living with dementia and isn’t intended to do so. No training can replicate the anxiety, fear, possible delusions, and other wrenching experiences that people living with dementia face, nor can these programs fully help us understand their pain over all that they’ve lost. The programs do not simulate dementia. What they can do, however, is ratchet up…

Continue reading part one of my experience in immersive sensitivity training for dementia:

Discover the Difference. EGOSAN: The premium incontinence brand caregivers love  –  Now Available on Amazon.    Trial packs

Check out Dr. Leslie Kernisan’s free training webinar How to Help Resistant Aging Parents and consider joining this amazingly supportive group! Better Health While Aging presents Helping Our Older Parents:

Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. “For anyone having to walk the last segments of life with a loved one, read this.” …Delores