Connections Dementia Care Program
Nightingale Homecare is proud of its expertise in dementia care. Our dementia care program, called Connections, provides gentle, creative, effective care for individuals and families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Care is based on a keen understanding of how the disease process affects the brain and an understanding that the best way to reach the dementia sufferer is to enter his world. This is the way of the Alzheimer’s Whisperer®.
The staff members of Nightingale Homecare are qualified as Alzheimer’s Whisperers®. Caregivers, nurses, therapists, social workers and managers have all been trained in this unique approach by Dr. Verna Benner-Carson, a national expert in dementia care. This training has led to highly-developed expertise throughout our agency in managing even the most challenging behaviors associated with a dementia diagnosis. Behaviors that Nightingale Homecare can help with include wandering, repetition, uncooperative behavior, sexual acting-out, bathing and dressing difficulties, eating difficulties, nutritional concerns, swallowing problems, sun-downing and others.
Nightingale is also committed to making sure that clients with dementia maintain the highest level of functioning possible through all stages of the disease. Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy services play a key role in maintaining this function.
Nightingale Homecare is in fact, the only agency in the metropolitan Phoenix area that can provide the Alzheimer’s Whisperer® service under the Medicare Home Health or other health insurance benefit (if ordered by a doctor) and through its private pay division. There are criteria that must be met to utilize Medicare or other health insurance benefits for dementia care services. Please call and we will be happy to discuss all of the options available.
How it works:
- Proven evaluations/tests that are specially targeted to the person with dementia are administered by one of Nightingale’s Registered Nurses.
- The information provided by these evaluations is then used to develop client-specific strategies to address challenging behaviors and any other issues that need attention.
- Training is then provided to family and/or paid caregivers so that they can understand and apply strategies and follow-up as needed.
- Written handouts for specific behaviors or issues are reviewed with caregivers and left for later reference.
- Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy are ordered as needed, to assure the highest level of function throughout the course of the disease
- Social worker services are ordered as needed to assist in planning for the future and in getting any help that might be available in the community.
- Intermittent or continuous care provided by compassionate caregivers is implemented according to insurance criteria and/or the wishes of the family member that will be paying for these services.