HHA: Caring for a Patient With Dementia

12-Month Subscription

Unlimited access to:

Thousands of CE Courses
Patient Education
Home Exercise Program
And more

Subscribe Now

First Chapter Free Buy Course

Video Runtime: 27 Minutes

One in three seniors dies from Alzheimer’s or dementia every year. In 2018, Alzheimer's and other dementias will cost the nation $277 billion, and these costs could escalate to $1.1 trillion in the next 30 years. Increasingly, home health and hospice aides care for the patients with dementia. While Alzheimer’s disease is the most familiar type of dementia, there are many others. Understaning the different types of dementia and the areas of the brain they affect will help the aide to care for people with different types of dementia. Underlying the practice of the aide should be a patient- and family-centered approach to dementia care, which involves tailoring care to the abilities and the changing needs of each person affected by the disease.

Meet your instructor

Tina Marrelli

Tina Marrelli is the president of Marrelli and Associates, Inc., a publishing and consulting firm working in home care for more than 30 years. Tina is the author of 13 books, including the Handbook of Home Health Standards: Quality, Documentation, and Reimbursement (6th edition, 2018). Other books include A Guide…

Read full bio

Chapters & learning objectives

1. Case Scenario and Course Overview

This chapter opens the course by reviewing a representative case study that will be referenced throughout the course. The learning objectives for this course are also reviewed.

2. Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

In this chapter, participants will learn to identify the onset of dementia in their patients, and how symptoms change as dementia becomes more severe.

3. Communication Strategies

Chapter Three provides practical communication strategies to improve interactions with persons experiencing dementia, both at initial onset and as symptoms become more severe.

4. Goals of Care, Observation, Documentation, and Reporting

This chapter concludes the course by reviewing goals of care for home health aides, including providing excellent personal care and safety. This chapter also covers personal care considerations, and important standards for documentation during care.

More courses in this series