-- A Morning with Teepa

Teepa Snow comes to you virtually to explain her Positive Physical Approach™ and Positive Personal Connections – taking time to connect with various GEMS® States. 

Join us to hear from renowned dementia care specialist, Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, one of the world’s leading advocates and educators for anyone living with dementia. This program is designed to help those caring for someone who is experiencing problems with thinking, memory, language, or behavior. It will address a wide variety of common concerns and issues from the earliest stages of cognitive changes until the end of journey resulting in death due to complications of brain failure.

Whether you are a professional in the Health Care Industry or a friend or family member of someone living with dementia, this is a must-see seminar packed with useful information you can begin utilizing immediately. Teepa’s GEMS® States classification system (based on the Allen Cognitive Disability Theory) helps you to understand which state of brain change the person is experiencing, and how to respond appropriately. Senior Helpers adapted Teepa’s GEMS® States into the Senior GEMS®, which they use to train their caregivers. People who are trained to use a Positive Approach to Care® can help change resistance and refusals into participation and successful interactions.

Caregivers often struggle with how to interact and communicate when the individual is repeatedly asking the same questions or telling the same stories, accusing others of stealing items that they themselves have hidden, making rude or inappropriate comments, calling people names or using profanity. Because the behavior can change from one moment or day to the next and can vary widely between individuals, it may seem like the person living with dementia is deliberately choosing their behavior. 

GOAL: The goal of this session is to help caregivers manage their own behaviors for improved outcomes and interactions. This session will also provide learners strategies and methods of providing help to people with dementia that recognize losses and use retained abilities to promote positive outcomes in interactions. Emphasis will be placed on helping learners to approach people with dementia safely and consistently, provide verbal support and responses that reduce distress, and improve social engagement. The session will be very interactive with the goal of providing knowledge, skills and attitudes that will change daily outcomes of dementia care.:   A combination of lecture, role play, group interactions, partnered practice opportunities, discussion, PowerPoint slides, case examples, and clips from DVD as demonstration will be used throughout the presentation

Objectives: By the end of the session, learners will be able to:

1. Identify the important role that words and actions play in the behavior and responses

of people living with dementia

2. Describe several of the critical factors for optimizing positive interactions

3. Identify techniques that improve the potential for successful communication

4. Demonstrate use of positive communication strategies in an interaction

NOTE:  

During our morning with Teepa, she will provide you with a link to her slide presentation and

we will provide you with a link to your Evaluation Survey so that you will be able to obtain your free CEUs

8:00 CST  Welcome!  Karen McGee, Dementia Family Pathways

8:20 - 10:20 Teepa Snow - "Techniques for Successful Dementia Care Interactions" - Part 1

     I.  Discuss the major factors that impact the behavior and abilities of a person with dementia

     II. Use role play, DVD clips, and interactions with learners to reinforce that thesechanges are part of the condition, 

        NOT willfulness or choice of the individual

     III. Highlight the importance of the caregiver role in helping people with dementia being successful and controlling

         some of these symptoms

10:20 - 10:30  Break    "The Power of Exercise for people living with Dementia"  Total HealthWorks

10:30 - 11:30  Teepa Snow - "Techniques for Successful Dementia Care Interactions" - Part 2

     IV. Identify the key beliefs that are essential for interacting with people living with Dementia

     V.  Discuss the use of positive interaction and assistance skills to promote optimal Interactions

     VI. Compare lost and preserved skills in multiple areas as dementia progresses

11:30 - 11:40  Senior GEMS and the Positive Physical Approach

                             Skill Building training Workshops, and "A Day with Teepa" - Senior Helpers of Panama City

11:40 - 11:50  Thank you to our Sponsors 

                       1st Tuesday virtual Dementia Support Group* Panama City   2/2/21 9:30 - 10:30 am CST - Total HealthWorks

*Support groups are important for the people living with Dementia but also for care partners, family, friends, and healthcare professionals as a "point of contact" for education, support, and resosurces.