Part of my work as a staff educator is to improve care on our geriatric mental health unit. I teach several things that I hope will help you in your work too.
The first is this, which is posted on our unit for staff to follow:
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I also teach what I call CVS:
The person with dementia needs to feel in
control of his life,
valued as a person with a history, and
safe emotionally and physically.
The caregiver also needs CVS:
To feel in
charge of the disease through education, to feel
validated as a caregiver, and to feel
satisfaction in what they accomplish in care.
And I teach staff this from the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Institute:
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I believe all this helps us capture our value in changing lives. How do you improve care for your patient or loved one?
Beverly Moore is a Senior Level CPI Instructor. She trains about 200 hospital employees per year (ER staff, social workers, RNs, mental health counselors, nursing assistants, and all new hires) and strives to advance Carney Hospital’s patient-centered approach to care. Beverly also coaches dementia caregivers, teaching people how to tap their strengths to face their challenges with more confidence.
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