The REI Blog

Tracking dementia engagement successes – or failures

The goal of dementia engagement is to provide the individual with the best quality of life possible.  To achieve this, the person centered care requires ongoing fine tuning of the programs & interventions based on the interests and capabilities of the person. Because cognitive impairment makes feedback difficult to obtain, it can be hard to […]

3 tiered approach to engagement based on dementia stages

One of the challenges of dementia engagement is focusing on what an individual can still do instead of what they can no longer do. Creating engagement and programming around the resident’s desire is at the core of person centered care, but to be successful, it needs to take into account the kinds of tasks they can perform. Taking into account two […]

6 ways to Successfully Communicate Non-Verbally with Dementia Residents

Communication is an essential part in enhancing the quality of life, especially for dementia residents. Dementia creates challenges for how people understand what is being communicated to them, along with being able to express themselves to others. This language deterioration is known as aphasia.  Difficulties that arise from not being able to communicate can lead […]

3 tips for measurable goals in dementia programming

Engaging people with dementia in meaningful person centered activities is the most effective way to manage behaviors, increase satisfaction and reduce the use of anti-psychotic drugs. Programming for dementia can be challenging on many levels. One of them is the absence of measurable goals. Another is the difficulty gathering feedback from the residents and the […]

Dementia engagement – Person centered is better

The main reason why residents with dementia may have increased levels of agitation and aggression is because they may lead lives that lack purposeful activity. Over the past few years, the concept of “engagement” has emerged as a means of understanding the behavioral pattern often seen in residents with dementia. For that matter, “Engagement” is […]

Dementia care assessment – From compliance to customer service

The basis of good dementia care lies in supporting people at their highest functioning level and answering their personal needs in the most compassionate and respectful way. To support quality care with stronger care planning and anti-psychotic drug reduction initiatives, knowledge about each resident is paramount to drive person centered experience. At the fore front […]