The Best Friends approach is changing the lives of people around the world by improving the quality of life not only for clients with Alzheimer's disease but also for the staff providing care. Authors Virginia Bell and David Troxel are recognized internationally for their innovative work helping people with dementia. Here, they present a training approach geared to help your staff achieve better outcomes and more rewarding experiences and help you retain an effective, satisfied staff. Read stories and ideas from real staff in facilities worldwide who are already implementing the Best Friends approach with their residents. Get the inspiration and working tools to transform your care culture, including hundreds of case studies illustrating successful programs, creative ideas you can use to implement change, proven advice on staff training and retention, and a training toolkit in each chapter that features learning exercises, activities, games, and resources. Help your staff make every day more enjoyable and secure for people with Alzheimer s disease and more rewarding for themselves.
More than 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia. By the year 2030, experts estimate that as many as 66 million people around the world will be faced with this life-altering disease. Unfortunately, these staggering statistics impact millions of caregivers, too. Compared with all types of caregivers, those who assist someone with dementia experience the highest levels of burnout, depression, poor health, and premature death. A Dignified Life, Revised and Expanded offers hope and help with a proven approach. Ten years ago, the first edition of A Dignified Life changed the way the caregiving community approached Alzheimer's disease by showing caregivers how to act as a Best Friend to the person, finding positive ways to interact even as mental abilities declined. Firmly grounded in the latest knowledge about the progression and treatment of dementia, this expanded edition offers a wealth of immediately usable tips and new problem-solving advice. It incorporates practical ideas for therapeutic activities—including the latest brain-fitness exercises—stimulate the brain while adding structure, meaning, and context to daily routines. With new stories and examples as well as an updated resources section, A Dignified Life, Revised and Expanded gives caregivers the support and advice they need to be successful and inspired in their demanding roles. While medical treatment of the disease hasn't changed in the past ten years, our understanding and awareness of treating people in a more caring way has changed substantially. With no cure on the immediate horizon, respectful care by effective and compassionate care partners is the only real "treatment" available to people with dementia. The Best FriendsTM Approach is successful because it sustains people's connection to their world, their loved ones, and themselves. It's a universal program which has been embraced by professional and family caregivers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. In its revised form, A Dignified Life offers caregivers an antidote to the burnout and frustration that often accompanies the role of caring for a person with Alzheimer's and dementia. Rather than struggling through a series of frustrations and failures, A Dignified Life shows the new generation care partners how to bring dignity, meaning, and peace of mind to the lives of both those who have Alzheimer's and dementia and those who care for them.
"This guide will transform you from an accidental manager into a successful one. Your job will become a bonus, instead of a burden, for you and your company as you learn how to: develop your staff members through training and delegation, listen actively to build trust and increase communication, give and receive useful feedback to keep projects on track, and create a motivational climate that makes you a popular boss and brings out the best in your people."--BOOK JACKET.
The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care shows how easily you can make a difference in the life of a family member or client in your care. Here's the help you've been looking for: families will gain a renewed sense of hope, nursing facility staff will find simple applications for resident care, adult day center staff can enrich programming and attract more volunteers, and individuals with emerging Alzheimer's disease will gain valuable insights. Learn new ways to solve problems, encourage positive behavior, and improve communications. Make every day consistently reassuring, enjoyable, and secure.
"This updated edition of the bestselling book addresses today's intense pressures in staffing and retention. It shows vividly how the Best Friends approach to dementia care improves quality of life not only for persons with memory loss but also for the staff providing care. This book provides guidance and tools for training staff in the skills to provide exceptional dementia care and find satisfaction in their work. Includes: Stories from successful dementia programs, chapter-by-chapter toolkits of training techniques and learning exercises, ways to support and retain staff, and actionable ideas to improve the care culture"--
Rescued tells the inspiring stories of dedicated organizations and heroic volunteers who saved animals and reunited them with loved ones after Hurricane Katrina. Heart-wrenching experiences and dramatic action photos open a portal into the unheralded world of animal shelters, sanctuaries, and charities that are emerging nationwide and becoming an important social movement. Chock-full of lifesaving information, this book prepares you to quickly and safely evacuate with animals in any emergency.
Tom Simmons, the thirty-five-year-old manager of the family hotel in San Francisco, has to fly back to his hometown of Chicago for the annual family business meeting. Little does he know that this flight will begin a series of embarrassing, comical, and life-changing events. Julie Evers, an attendant working on the same fateful flight, finds her life forever changed as a result of her interaction with Tom. For reasons neither of them understand, their paths continue to cross numerous times both in Chicago and in San Francisco, much to their mutual dismay. But despite some awkward and, sometimes, disturbing encounters, and against Julies stubborn objections, a relationship gradually takes seed and turns out to be exactly what both Tom and Julie need. I hope you will join me in this humorous, rocky, and unpredictable journey to happiness. Learn how Tom and Julie, thrown together repeatedly at the most inopportune times and often under the worst possible circumstances, still somehow find love. And even more to their surprise, they find that they are exactly the person designated to fill each others gaping emotional voidselected in a way even more surprising and unexpected than their implausible relationship.
Transform team dynamics with practical, real-world tools for sustainable change Fix Your Team is the manager’s essential and practical guide to diagnosis and intervention. Packed with expert insight acquired over decades of experience in workplace relations and conflict resolution, this book systematically addresses problems with team dynamics and provides a blueprint for moving forward. Authors Rose Bryant-Smith and Grevis Beard bring a unique combination of legal nous, conflict management expertise, emotional intelligence and business experience to provide a wealth of valuable insights, with robust tools designed for easy implementation. This book offers diagnostic guidance to help you analyse existing issues with confidence, and a clear framework for removing the dysfunction. It includes practical scenarios we can all relate to, and actionable guidance on building buy-in, executing the strategy and looking after yourself through tough transformations. By tackling problems early and providing employees with the opportunity to improve their working relationships, managers, human resources and other internal advisors demonstrate their commitment to productivity, genuine care for employees and dedication to a healthy and ethical working environment. People working in dysfunctional teams will understand better what is going on, and understand what options exist for improvement. Diagnose team problems and learn what tools are available to help Determine the best use of resources and choose an implementable fix Develop a business case for intervention, and get support from the top Build morale, productivity and collaboration within the team Upskill employees to ensure sustainable improvements Build accountability in everyone for a positive workplace culture In today’s competitive environment, managers need to bring out the best in everyone. Team dysfunction affects productivity at all levels, and it’s contagious — managers must stop the problem before it spreads, to prevent larger and more pervasive issues down the road. Remediating team issues reduces legal and safety risks, but it goes deeper than that. Solving problems before they become public or impact other areas of the business improves the team’s respect for managers and leadership, reducing unnecessary turnover and resignations of good staff. Fix Your Team is a groundbreaking handbook for management looking to improve team dynamics, with practical solutions for productivity-killing, unethical and distracting issues. It gives all managers and internal advisors the confidence, strategies and solutions they need to repair tricky, toxic and troubled teams to create a great workplace.
