1. Embracing Their Reality: Making Assisted Living Dementia-Friendly
Rachael Wonderlin, MS
Dementia By Day, LLC

2. Making Assisted Living Communities Dementia-Friendly
Step One: Understand Dementia
Step Two: Change Your Verbal & Physical Communication
Step Three: Change Their Environment
Step Four: Change Your Expectations

3. Understand Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Delirium
Step One
Understand Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Delirium

4. What is dementia, anyway?
Cognitive loss over time, an umbrella term for over different types of illnesses, including…
Alzheimer’s
Lewy Body
Vascular
Frontotemporal Lobar (FTD)
Other types to know

5. What is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)?
Mild Cognitive Impairment is a slight, but noticeable decline in memory and other cognitive functions
The person with MCI is aware of the changes and other people may be, too
MCI does not always lead to dementia
MCI sometimes reverts to normal cognition or remains stable

6. What is Delirium? Delirium is different from dementia and MCI
Delirium is a sudden onset of confusion and cognitive impairment
It is a sign that something else is wrong!

7. Change the way that you communicate verbally
Step Two
Change the way that you communicate verbally

8. Make or break positive dementia care
EMBRACE THEIR REALITY
Make or break positive dementia care

9. Change the environment
Step Three
Change the environment

13. What your residents’ family members are dealing with…

14. Change your expectations
Step FOUR
Change your expectations

15. Activities

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