Atlanta, GA & Bedford, TX – AGE-u-cate Training Institute (www.AGEucate.com) receives $147,419.00 in civil monetary penalty reinvestment funding by the Tennessee Department of Health in partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help 27 late adopter nursing homes in Tennessee to improve the care provided to residents with dementia.
The one-year project is titled “Compassionate Touch: A Practical, Non- pharmacological Approach to Ease Behavioral Symptoms; thereby, Supporting Nursing Homes’ Effort to Minimize the Use of Antipsychotic Medications for Dementia-related Behaviors.”
Compassionate Touch is an approach combining skilled touch and specialized communication shown to prevent behavioral expression in people with dementia and reduce job stress in care-partners.
The goal of this project is to equip staff working in 27 Tennessee nursing homes with practical skilled touch techniques to incorporate in daily care routines.
In addition, Compassionate Touch training will occur for Tennessee state surveyors, the Long Term Care Ombudsman and staff of the Tennessee Quality Improvement Organization.
“There is an urgent need to better support persons living with dementia and we look forward to working with Tennessee nursing homes,” says Pam Brandon, AGE-u-cate’s President and Founder. “This program offers simple, yet effective, tools for care partners to connect with, calm and comfort those they are caring for who are living with dementia.”
The Compassionate Touch program was developed by Ann Catlin, OTR, LMT, a leading expert in the field of skilled touch in eldercare and hospice. Drawing on 30 years’ experience, Ann has guided professionals and organization to rediscover ‘touch-as-medicine’ in person-centered dementia care.
About AGE-u-cate Training Institute
AGE-u-cate Training Institute develops and delivers innovative, research-based aging and dementia training programs for professional and family caregivers. Training is delivered across the United States and internationally in long term care communities, hospitals, in-home, hospice, and community-based organizations as well as universities.
AGE-u-cate contact: Mary Petersen, Director of Client Engagement 817.857.1157 x 204, mary.petersen@AGEucate.com
TN Department of Health, Office of Patient Care Advocacy contact: Shaquallah Shanks, MPH, Director of the CMP Reinvestment Program 615.741.6823, shaquallah.shanks@tn.gov