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Straight Talk About Dementia
This DVD would be particularly useful for professional caregivers who are relatively new to the field of caring for patients with dementia.
It shows clips from a number of different interviews with professional and family caregivers,
but ultimately it would be more beneficial to new Personal Support Workers (PSW) because
the majority of the interviews relate to long-term care facilities. The DVD covers many of the day-to-day issues
that caregivers will experience caring for people with dementia, just through discussing with professionals
their experiences in the field of dementia care. It discusses various methods for dealing with difficult issues
such as maintaining dignity while bathing or toileting, or how to calm people with dementia who become anxious or violent.
Many of the topics focus on ways to make the bedrooms and bathrooms of a residence more comfortable, or how to create a soothing atmosphere.
The professionals also discuss the best methods for developing relationships with the patients and getting the most out of their work.
They admit that the job can be enormously frustrating at times, so they discuss methods for dealing with their own emotions.
The really tough details of day-to-day care are excluded in favour of illustrating why this job is so important to the professionals.
This DVD is really helpful for offering advice to Personal Support Workers in terms of making the changes faced
by patients and their families a little more manageable, particularly once the patient has been moved into a long-term care facility.
Reviewed by Megan Hodges, Alzheimer Society of Toronto
Understanding Difficult Behaviours
Understanding Difficult Behaviours is a booklet designed for anyone who is coping with dementia caregiving,
be they family members or professionals. It is divided into chapters based on the various challenging behaviours exhibited
by persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, for example, agitation, incontinence, hallucinations, etc.
Each chapter provides practical advice for coping with these behaviours in an easily accessible format.
The chapter describes the behaviour, the possible reasons for the behaviour, coping strategies, and other considerations.
The booklet gives many reasons for a specific behaviour, beyond the usual “Is the person hungry? Tired?”
This is essential, because the caregiver will have a much easier time managing the behaviour if they understand
what it is being triggered by. The booklet is easy to use and very practical, and does not shy away from some
of the more difficult behaviours exhibited by persons with dementia.
Reviewed by Megan Hodges, Alzheimer Society of Toronto
A Time to Care: Activities in Daily Living
This DVD offers many practical tips for day-to-day care.
It is designed for family and professional caregivers who care for a person with dementia within a home setting.
The intended audiences of this DVD are people familiar with the disease, its symptoms and its progression,
who are searching for practical advice in dealing with the daily struggles of caring for someone with dementia.
There are many tips that may have slipped the minds of caregivers, but really will make a difference to the cooperation
and overall quality of life for the person with dementia. The video illustrates step-by-step approaches to hair care,
nail care, techniques for safely shaving, important aspects of nutrition and feeding, oral health care, dressing, and incontinence.
This DVD is tremendously beneficial for caregivers looking for practical advice in the everyday care of people with dementia.
Reviewed by Megan Hodges, Summer Student, Alzheimer Society of Toronto
Dementia with Dignity
This video is intended for Personal Support Workers in long term care facilities,
but it is also an excellent resource for anyone caring for a person with dementia.
It is practical and hands-on, with various tips for constructive activities and day-to-day interaction,
and continually emphasizes the need to recognize the person as an individual with individual needs.
This video offers realistic advice for difficult situations, while stressing the importance of remembering the person behind the disease.
The video is divided into sections that include communication skills, how to deal with aggressive or responsive behaviour,
and making the most of an individual’s abilities. The goal of this video is to help the caregiver to understand
the individual with dementia and what he/she might be experiencing By filming skilled caregivers with real patients,
the video clearly illustrates how these techniques work.
Reviewed by Megan Hodges, Summer Student, Alzheimer Society of Toronto
These and other books and videos are available at the
Alzheimer Society of Toronto Resource Centre or look for them on our
online catalogue.
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