January 02, 2019
Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association, there are an estimated 5.7 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer's disease and 16.1 million American's providing unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer's or related dementias. As these numbers increase it is important for businesses, especially those who provide direct care for seniors, to have professionals on their staff with advanced knowledge of dementia and how to provide the highest level of person-centered care for those suffering from it. Home Instead Senior Care of SWFL understands this and is committed to providing compassionate person-centered care to our memory care population. It is why we have an on-staff Certified Dementia Specialist.
Home Instead Senior Care of SWFL is a home care agency that specializes in providing care for people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. All of our CAREGivers are provided Home Instead Senior Care's proprietary research-based Alzheimer's CARE training. Charged with teaching those pieces of training is our very own registered nurse, Sue Townsend, RN, CDP. Sue has been caring for and teaching others to care for people with Alzheimer's with Home Instead Senior Care for the past 10 and 1/2 years and is a Certified Dementia Practitioner.
For 8 and 1/2 years prior to her time with us, Sue was a US Congressman's Health Care Representative where she served as an advocate for seniors in Wisconsin. This time was an enormous eye-opener for her into what aging with care truly looks like.
What is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and why does it matter?
One organization on the front line in the fight against Alzheimer's and related dementias is The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners or NCCDP, a global leader in dementia education and certification for healthcare professionals. The mission of the NCCDP is to promote, encourage, and enhance the knowledge, skills, and practice of all persons who provide care and services to dementia clients by means of requiring excellent standards of education, dementia-specific training, and incentives for professional development of those who are dedicated to the ever-growing field of dementia care."Because the care that you receive does matter" - Sandra Stimson, CEO, National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners
The NCCDP administers the Certified Dementia Practitioner® (CDP®) program, a certification that indicates a health care professional has received comprehensive knowledge in the area of dementia care, has completed the Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care course and seminar, and met the NCCDP certification requirements. A CDP® certification reflects a deep personal commitment on the part of the health care professional, inspiring confidence and dedication in an individual's professional knowledge through quality of life and quality of care provided to dementia patients.
Sue says, "Being certified as a dementia practitioner has upped my game to be even more of an advocate for seniors with dementia and their caregivers. (And as I enter into the older years, for my friends and family members and myself.) The more I learn, the more passionate I become in researching, reaching out and teaching ways to help. Sometimes I wish I had a huge soapbox to stand on and share what I have learned and help make lifestyle changes that could possibly make all the difference for so many people. I do feel that being a Certified Dementia Practitioner does offer us the opportunity to show the community our commitment to seeking the most comprehensive and recent aid and information to seniors with dementia. I aspire to get out and teach Home Instead's CARE Class for Family Caregivers to as many as I can. It contains such a wealth of information."
Want to Host Your Own Family Caregiver Training?
We can help! Sue is available to host Family Caregiver Workshops which teach people who are caring for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's or related dementias the latest person-centered care techniques.
