Meeting: Al’s Moving Minds

"Dear Doreen,  Your training still has a great impact on us here at Fruit Hill Day Services for Elderly. The thing about working with dementia and Alzheimer's persons is that utilizing knowledge and creativity at all times is imperative to help our participants feel safe. You presented us with different ways to connect with them and just to enjoy them. Sometimes our participants will call out for their spouses or parents who died many years ago. The first reaction of a caregiver was often  to bring our participant to reality. Yet, we learned from you that reorientation could be painful for them; every time they hear that their spouse is deceased it is like they heard it for the first time. So, they grieve and mourn as though they just experienced the loss. You taught us that "therapeutic lies" (fiblets) can be more effective and comforting for our participants. Rather than reorienting, which will bring further confusion, reassuring through therapeutic (fiblets) convincingly proves to be actually beneficial. Thank you Doreen."

Barbara, FMM, RN    North Providence, RI     9.20.14