Sensitivity Training for Caregivers of People with Dementia – Part 1
Please wipe this mess off 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 they’ve lost. The programs do not simulate dementia. What they can do, however, is ratchet up our sensitivity about what it’s like to be unable — even temporarily — to control our environment. To be at the mercy of people who don’t necessarily know us well enough to care about us.
When done properly, these programs will help us understand helplessness, confusion, frustration, degradation as well as playacting can. These programs…
Continue reading on HealthCentral for the first part of my virtual experience with dementia:
Discover the Difference. EGOSAN: The premium incontinence brand caregivers love – Now Available on Amazon.
Support a caregiver or jump-start discussion in support groups with real stories – for bulk orders of Minding Our Elders, e-mail Carol
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories: “An inspiring read for caregivers! Minding Our Elders is a series of stories about caregiving. But it is much more than that. It’s a book that helps us view aging and community through the lens of someone well versed in eldercare. Author Carol Bradley Bursack has been a caregiver for a neighbor and six elderly members of her family. These experiences made her the perfect person to interview and share the stories of friends and acquaintances. Through crisp writing and a sharp focus, we enter the lives of those struggling to care for loved ones with dementia and other age-related illnesses. As I read Minding Our Elders, I felt myself filling up with both appreciation and admiration for those who adopt the caregiving role. In addition, I was struck with the inherent value Carol sees in our elders. This is a well-written book that will stir your heart!” …Ann C
