Hintz and Wilcox Certified as Independent Trainers
Dementia is a symptom of progressive brain disorders that affect cognitive function and progressively weaken a person’s ability to think and process. According to Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, the number of Americans over 65 living with the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, will more than double from 6.1 million in 2020 to 13.5 million in 2060.
Meeting the care needs of individuals with any type of dementia will be a growing challenge for health care professionals, caregivers, family members, and other loved ones. The SD Department of Human Services and Long Term Care Ombudsman Program recognized the need and launched a statewide dementia training project specifically for long-term care facilities.
South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care quality improvement advisors Lori Hintz, RN, CADDCT, and Susan Wilcox, RN, participated and became certified independent trainers for Positive Approach to Care® (PAC™), which shares the dementia care philosophy and caregiving techniques of nationally recognized dementia educator and trainer, Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA.
“The PAC™ training gives practical tips that a caregiver can use right away to better understand and care for the person living with dementia and brain changes. I look forward to sharing this information with my nursing home colleagues,” expressed Hintz.
Snow’s teaching style integrates facts about the brain and what happens to someone when doing, thinking, reasoning, or processing becomes difficult. Achieving certification included attending a combination of online and classroom training and demonstrating the ability to train others in Snow’s PAC™ philosophy of teaching awareness, knowledge and skill development in a classroom, community, or support group setting.
Family members caring for a spouse, parent or other loved one with dementia are at high risk for depression and anxiety, making it difficult or impossible to care for the person affected by dementia. Wilcox has firsthand experience of the effects of dementia as caregiver for a family member. “Teepa Snow’s PAC™ certification empowers me to advocate for individuals with dementia. I am eager to share my knowledge and use this expertise to promote dignity, and impact quality of life for individuals with dementia and their families.”
Hintz and Wilcox will use this new expertise to educate health care professionals and impact care quality in long-term care settings across the state as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contract work for the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network.