By Camrin Nettey, MS, CCC-SLP, DOR, The Healthcare Resort of Leawood, KS
The Occupational Therapy team at The Healthcare Resort of Leawood is passionate about implementing the Abilities Care Approach to improve the quality of life for our residents with dementia. In doing so, they recognize the importance of collaborating with and providing education to other staffing departments within our facility to maximize the ongoing success of this program.
The team recently created a Powerpoint presentation, along with pocket-size strategy reminders to provide at an all-staff in-service. Through collaborating with other staff, we have seen countless success stories for the residents that we serve here at The Healthcare Resort of Leawood.
A recent celebration included a resident, Lee, who was having difficulty participating in bathing/showering tasks. Nursing staff voiced these concerns to the Therapy team, and our OTs identified strategies based on her Allen Cognitive Level that created opportunities to improve Lee’s active participation with showering/bathing. By integrating what they knew about the Allen Cognitive Levels, along with individualized information, the OTs successfully identified strategies to reduce Lee’s level of anxiety, provide dignity, and improve her quality of life.
“Using the Abilities Care Approach with Lee has not only helped her ability to participate more in her ADLs, but her overall demeanor has changed. Throughout the day after her therapy sessions, you can see a change in how she holds herself and interacts with others.” — Erin Mallory, COTA