Aging and Disability Network Meeting Minutes 3/8/16

Attendees: Mary Rickard (Saratoga County OFA), Reed Lehan (Saratoga County DSS), Ben Nichols (Saratoga County OFA), Carol Reardon (Saratoga County OFA), Jennifer Baldwin (Saratoga Hospital), Brian Lawrence (Life Inc. Pooled Trusts), Donna Rudzinski (Shenendehowa Village), Chris Camburr (FSS), Ardis Armer (Saratoga County OFA), Christy Durant (The Summit at Saratoga), Sharon Emerson (CHOICES at St. Peter's), Patty Woodruff (SAIL), Rachael Pflieger (SAIL), JoAnn Zales (National Grid), Connie Weaver (Saratoga County OFA), Patrick Harrington (Saratoga County OFA), Maria Geizer (Home Instead Senior Care).

Attendees were welcomed and introduced themselves. The next Aging and Disability Network Meeting will be held on April 12 from 2-330pm, at the Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church, 175 Fifth Avenue, Saratoga Springs. Cheryl Lawyer, Outreach Services Coordinator for Northeast Association for the Blind at Albany (NABA) will be presenting on "Understanding and Caring for People with Low Vision or Vision Loss."

Today's Presenter and Topic: Debi Buzanowski, Eddy Alzheimer's Specialist, Eddy Alzheimer's Services, presenting "A Person's Living Space and How it Affects a Person with Memory Loss."

Debi went over the definition of dementia and the more common types of dementias that we see when working closely with seniors.

Dementia affects cognitive functions including memory, judgement, perception, abstract thinking, attention, reasoning, language and organization.

Environmental Accomodations for receptive losses:

- approach slowly, NEVER from behind.
- give the person time to focus - have their attention
-speak slowly and clearly

Non-verbal communication is critical!
 - Body language
- Tone of voice
- eye contact
-Positioning AT or BELOW eye level

When dementia affects expressive language -

- Fill in words only when it is helpful
-Limit choices
- Pay attention to the person's body language
- Respect "word salad" and go with the flow
- Prevent sensory overload - too much noise!
-Avoid too many people approaching at once
-Eliminate background noises
-Insure adequate lighting

**REMEMBER - Inside a person with dementia is someone trying to communicate. Behaviors or responses that are out of character are triggered by something in the environment.

The environment should accommodate the strengths and needs of a person with memory impairment.


There are 9 common areas to assess in the environment of a person living with dementia:

Contrasts: Look for contrasts in color, lighting and patterns, so things are easy to see.

Texture: Look for varied textures.

Lighting: Make sure lighting is adequate so people can't misinterpret shapes. Reduce shadows.

Patterns: Make sure they are not distracting, or cause dizziness. Make sure they can't be misinterpreted or look like they are moving.

Clutter: Make sure there are not too many objects in an environment, and make sure the ones that are there are recognizable to the person.

Cueing: Look for info the person can understand and see easily and recognize through various senses - hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, etc.

Normalcy: People show less agitation when the environment seems "normal" to them. It should look like a room they would recognize.

Homey: Look for spaces and décor that feel cozy, look like home and help someone feel comfortable and relaxed.

Privacy: Look for ways thet the person can still be alone, but be able to see and get company or help when desired,

Debi's contact information is debi.buzanowski@sphp.com, 518-238-4170.