Who Is Teepa Snow? Bay Haven Staff Went To Her Conference

Teepa Snow Workshop

Before you begin to read this article, you may be asking yourself, who is Teepa Snow? Teepa Snow is a leading trainer and consultant providing support and care that places the person living with dementia in a pivotal role when determining what is needed. Her goal is to help communities, agencies, organizations, professionals, and families to develop the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to better support and care for someone living with dementia. Teepa Snow is the owner and CEO of Positive Approach to Care. Her organization provides training, services and products to help those who have dementia. Teepa Snow has successfully integrated her education, extremely varied work experiences, recent medical and international research, and her first-hand care experiences to be a major part of her companies’ program. All these tools are used to help people living with neurocognitive degeneration.

It is Teepa Snow’s mission to change the culture of dementia support and care throughout the world. Positive Approach to Care focuses on the best ways to approach and develop a relationship with a patient who has dementia. Relationships that are based on authenticity, empowerment, compassion, and curiosity. Teepa Snow believes that this mind-frame is important to everyone, because understanding a person who has dementia is the best way to get to truly know the person suffering with this disease. Teepa Snow had a conference held at Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club near Orillia, Ontairo, and luckily, some staff at Bay Haven Care Community got to go and watch her lecture live. I happened to be one of those lucky employees, and believe me, it was such a fantastic experience. Teepa Snow went over so many different situations about people who have dementia. Her energetic personality and approach to people living with dementia was incredible to learn and see. Teepa Snow’s care strategies and techniques look at what is known about the brain function and all of the changes that happen with various conditions and then integrate all of that information with therapeutic approaches. She went over a bunch of topics related to the neurological functions of the brain and she told us how to put our caring and support to those with dementia into practice in a positive, loving, and rewarding way.

The conference went from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and breakfast and lunch were both provided! Not only that, every table represented the retirement/nursing home you worked at, so it was nice to have a Bay Haven Care Community table. Teepa Snow got everyone in attendance involved by making everyone participate in her techniques and approach to proper caring. It was very fun to be able to practice these techniques with your co-workers and be able to learn new things that we could all bring to our work. Teepa Snow is a phenomenal lecturer and I highly recommend everyone to go to one of her conferences whenever she is in Canada. Bellow are a couple links to her videos from YouTube.

Teepa Snow Discusses The Ten Early Signs of Dementia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqmqC-702Yg

Calming & Comforting a Person Living with Dementia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGqYaRhjxrM

Marco Sanfilippo – Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

Stop the falls! An article by Vi Nguyen

A senior who fell down because of her slippers.

Stop the falls! Is an article prepared by our very own Occupational & Physiotherapist Assistant Vi Nguyen. In the article, Vi writes about different methods residents can use to prevent themselves from falling to the ground. The article also gives statistics and facts about the severe injuries that a fall can have on your body. Since falls are the cause of 85% of seniors’ injury-related hospitalizations, it is important to read her article and fully understand everything you can do to prevent these serious falls. In this blog, I will be going over some of the most interesting facts and guidelines to use to prevent seniors from falling.

 

1. Wear safe footwear.

The first point that Vi mentions in her article is to make sure all seniors are wearing well-fitted footwear to improve their walking and balance. Some footwear such as slippers or flip-fops can cause tripping since they are not as stable as regular shoes. It is always important to wear properly fitted shoes, and make sure your shoes are always new. Old shoes do not work as well since they tend to lose their grip.

2. Use assistive devices.

The second point that Vi mentions is to use proper walking devices such as walkers and canes for more balance and support. This is an excellent point because sometimes seniors tend to walk without their walkers or canes, causing them to fall over. If your doctor or physiotherapists tells you to use a cane or a walker to walk, always make sure you use them when you walk. One little mistake can lead to a plethora of problems.

3. Ensure adequate lighting.

Not a lot of people think about point number three. Vi mentions in her article that poor lighting can increase the risk of slips and falls because of the lack of visibility from the senior. In a senior is walking in a room with poor lighting, the chances of them bumping into furniture or tripping over something on the ground is very likely. Also make sure you have a night-light on during the night, and make sure you have your windows opened/lights on during the day.

4. Reduce tripping hazards.

Vi makes a lot of great points in her article about falling, and number four is an important point. Reduce the risk of tripping by cleaning up spills immediately, keeping your pathway free of clutter, or even replace all your rugs to non-slip rugs/mats. It is extremely important to make sure your room is clean and safe from clutter. Some of the most important parts/rooms in the house to make sure is cleared from clutter are the bathroom, the bedroom, the kitchen and the staircase.

5. Stay physically active.

The last point that Vi mentions in her article is to make sure seniors stay physically active. Exercising is the key to prevent falls. Exercising can improve muscle strength, bone density, and joint health. In fact, inactivity creates an even higher risk of fall, as it can lead to muscle loss, joint stiffness and poor balance. Stay active and prevent falls!

 

These five tips from Vi will prevent you from falling over. Remember, falls are the cause of 95% of hip-fractures and 50% of all falls happen in your own home. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Vi Nguyen for putting together this excellent article about fall prevention. Following these five tips will help you stop the falls and could save your life.