by Tom Ratcliff

Sunrise Senior Living, one of the nation’s leading providers of senior care living alternatives, recognizes the special needs of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other related memory impairments. 

Because memory related disorders are especially hard on not only the afflicted senior, but the family members who suffer as well, Sunrise has developed The Journey of Discovery Program to assist the resident with Alzheimer’s to comfortably transition to living at one of their Alzheimer Care Communities.

“Reminiscence: A Journey of Discovery Program, was developed to bring residents with  memory loss, their family members, and care givers closer together in order to enhance their quality of life,” according to Rita Altman, RN, the company’s national director of memory care services.

One part of this process is called Reminiscence. The care giving team members get to know what made the senior happy, comfortable or reduced their stress or anxiety in the past.  Then, they either try to duplicate the activity or spend time reminiscing  with the senior to provide them with happy or soothing thoughts from the past. For example, if the Alzheimer’s resident enjoyed gardening in their younger years then the care team will provide them with that activity. If the resident relaxed by bird watching the team member will assist the resident at bird watching outside or sit and show them pictures of birds in order to evoke pleasurable memories from the past.

Empathy is another essential component of the Journey Program that enables care team members to “connect” with their residents who have memory loss so they can understand the emotionally challenging side of the resident’s illness. People with Alzheimer’s or Dementia sometimes can no longer find the words to describe what they are feeling or experiencing so care givers are taught to feel with their heart.  As Altman described, “We all share in the same humanity – when the words are gone we can find other ways to communicate and fulfill the needs of our residents who are experiencing memory loss.”

Validation: Alzheimer’s/Dementia are extremely scary and debilitating disorders for senior residents who often become overwrought during the progression of their disease. Sunrise Senior Living Care Team members are trained to share those feelings with residents and provide comfort and understanding during the most stressful times. This communication technique was pioneered by Naomi Feil, who believed that by validating the feeling of the person with dementia, you can help them feel valued and connected to their caregivers and loved ones.

In order to complete the circle of care for both the resident and their family members, The Journey of Discovery for Families has evolved to include bringing the resident’s loved ones into the program. Family members  discover new ways to express their love and communicate with their loved one afflicted with memory loss.

Sunrise Senior Living is absolutely committed to providing exceptional Quality of Care and Life Enriching activities and experiences to residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias..  They realize we all have one thing in common and that is our HUMANITY – it is the invisible thread that connects us to each other.  Through expert training, Alzheimer’s Care Team members learn how to take care of their resident’s core needs, give their life meaning and purpose, make a spiritual connection when words are not enough, and provide hope for the future. To learn more about Sunrise Senior Living and their Alzheimer’s Care programs visit their website.

Please visit NSLPN.com’s Industry Spotlight for more Senior Care News articles.

by Tom Ratcliff

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), measures its success not in revenue dollars but in “improved patient outcomes.”  This April, approximately 25,000 DaVita employees and guests gathered nationwide to celebrate its 10^th year of commitment and care to their patients with CKD.

DaVita has hundreds of dialysis centers nationwide and each facility’s success is measured by its clinical results. DaVita uses a proprietary benchmarking tool, the DaVita Quality Index (DQI), created by their physician council to measure each center’s patient clinical results against its companywide performance.

Lynn Vance RN, Clinical Coordinator for one of DaVita’s Dialysis centers said, “We are totally focused on providing the very best care for each patient that walks into our facility. They are our guests for the time they are here. We see them often and for long periods of time so we begin to treat them like family.”

Every day DaVita team members assemble and hold a “Homeroom” session to discuss patient care and if any improvements can be made to enhance the care, comfort or outcome for their guests.

An outstanding example of DaVita’s universal commitment to patient care is The Bridge of Life—DaVita Medical Missions™, a non-profit organization founded by DaVita Inc. It provides much needed kidney care to suffering men, women and children in developing and third-world countries. DaVita employees use their paid leave time to bring life saving services, education, and support to communities that that are underserved and underfunded to provide kidney care.

In partnership with the Mishirmal Bafnal Parmarath Hospital in India, the Bridge of Life organization is bringing dialysis treatments to an area that otherwise could not provide these services. According to Dr. Manish Chaturvedy, the clinic director, “Along with these health improvements, the new clinic also brings a constant source of inspiration to all of us working together as a team in caring for the patients with renal failure.” None of this would have been possible without the vision and support provided by DaVita management and its devoted employees.

This is just one example of many of the Bridge of Life—DaVita Medical Missions™ programs that are ongoing in other underserved areas throughout the world.

DaVita Inc. is a working example of a company who is experiencing great success by putting its patients, the communities it serves and its employees ahead of all other corporate assets. DaVita employees are on a mission every day they come to work – to make a real positive difference in the lives of the patients they so lovingly serve.

To learn more about DaVita Inc. visit their website here.

Please visit NSLPN.com’s Industry Spotlight for more Senior Care News articles.

by Tom Ratcliff

Scientists and medical researchers are looking at the age-old art of “Tattooing” as an alternative diagnostic tool for diabetics. By injecting the patient with a “medical-ink” like substance they hope it can be read by a small portable devise to determine glucose levels.

With just a single prick from a small hollow needle, a yellow-orange dye containing tiny nanosensors is injected beneath the skin. As glucose levels change the dye changes color. It may not be visible by the naked eye, but it can be viewed using a small portable sensor devise. Once the tattoo is read and the color change determined the patient can then decide how much insulin is medically necessary.  This could be a welcome relief to diabetics who have to prick themselves a couple times a day versus maybe just once a week.

Researchers envision patients picking up an EpiPen-like device from their local pharmacists and self-administering the tattoo once a week. To read the tattoo, patients would need a cell-phone sized reader, or possibly just a cell phone with the right supplication. All a diabetic would need to do is pull out their cell phone and take a picture of the tattoo to interpret the color change.

What about Tattoos for Pacemakers?  There has been significant concern about accidental (or deliberate) changes to software protocols for implanted wireless devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, etc.  However, if a medical tattoo containing an access code could block deliberate or accidental “attacks” from changing device settings it could be a life saver for some patients. An infrared device would read the access code making entrance and changes only available to the attending physician.

A variety of this type technology may be several years away from everyday use, but medical researchers are working diligently to bring it to market as soon as possible.  One can only imagine what will be next, but if these amazing advances in technologies mean safer and more cost-effective care for the afflicted it will be well worth the wait.