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In Our Own Words will convey the true stories and real life experiences of home attendants who have graduated from the 45-Hour
Dementia Home Care Training course.
For this issue, Ms. Yudelka Gomez and Ms. Juana Fuentes (Graduates of the April 3, 2008
Training in Spanish) shared some of their experiences with Alison Reynoso, Dementia Care Trainer.
I am very happy for having had the opportunity of getting to know
people who, like myself, made themselves available to complete this
training in order to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and therefore
be able to provide better care for those suffering from this illness. Each
person with Alzheimer’s is different in their behavior and the changes
they experience. Therefore, their care and treatment should also be
individualized. The person with Alzheimer’s should be treated with lots
of patience, understanding and, above all, with tenderness and respect.
In addition to learning about the illness and its stages, I learned how
to better communicate with my client and with others. Even though
my client does not have this disease,our communication was very poor. We barely spoke. |
Ms. Yudelka Gomez |
| Frankly, I did not pay much attention but later
learned the importance of communication and effective listening and
since then, our relationship has changed dramatically for the
better. My client was a very quiet person, also a little shy. But after we
learned how to better communicate everything has changed. She seems more animated and happier; I feel that she trusts
me. Looking at her, into her eyes when she is speaking, makes a difference. Thanks to this training, I have learned to
listen effectively.
I am very grateful! |
Ms. Juana Fuentes |
I would like to thank the Almighty, the Alzheimer’s Association, 1199
and our teacher, Alison, for giving us the opportunity to learn more
about this illness.
Recently, I had an experience with my client who was suffering from
an anxiety attack. She was wringing her hands and pacing from one
place to the other. As I observed her behavior, I decided to use one of
the techniques that we had learned in order to calm her down. While
I approached her, I spoke to her and looked into her eyes; I took her
by the hand and walked her to a different room. I gave her a dust rag,
and together we began to clean the TV set. She finally calmed down. Afterwards, we went to the supermarket. This time, I decided to involve her in the process, to keep her active.
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Once we returned to her house, I asked her to help me take the groceries out of the bags and later to help me fold the bags. It was a successful day. “Everything worked.” It is not easy but not
impossible. With patience, love and respect, much can be
accomplished. It was a pleasant day for both of us.
Thank you! |
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