Counseling & Support – The HPP Resource Center

Category: Counseling & Support

Validation FAQs

What is the Validation method? Validation is a method for communicating with older adults who are diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. It is based on an attitude of respect and empathy for older adults with Alzheimer’s-type dementia who are struggling to resolve unfinished business before they die. Validation suggests a way of classifying the behaviors of these disoriented older adults and offers simple, practical techniques that help them restore dignity and avoid deteriorating into a vegetative state. Caregivers practicing the Validation method become empathetic listeners, who do not judge the person, but accept their view of reality.

Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults During COVID-19

Social isolation and loneliness, which were problems for many older adults before the coronavirus pandemic, have become an even greater issue with the restrictions on travel and contact with others. While some who live alone may have been able to see family, friends, or neighbors or taken trips to buy groceries or go to medical appointments, the virus has shut most people away inside their homes, which means even those few interactions have been lost. Online technologies and social media, which can provide a social support network and a perceived sense of belonging, are not as available to many older…

Supporting Staff in Long-Term Care as They Grieve the Deaths of Their Residents from COVID-19

By Mary Kaplan, M.S.W., LCSW Although death, dying, and grief are day-to-day experiences in the working lives of long-term care staff, the recent surge in the numbers of residents in these settings dying from COVID-19 has led to a cumulative burden of ongoing grief. The emotional impact of each loss for these caregivers is compounded by their own risk for contracting and spreading the virus and the lack of organizational attention to their emotional needs. Approximately 40 percent of U.S. deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, a statistic that…

Caregiver Stress Exercises During COVID-19

It’s critical to manage your own stress so you can keep assisting others. Find the strategy that works for you with these self-care exercises. Mental Imagery You can use this relaxation technique alone or in conjunction with other relaxation techniques. Remember, practicing relaxation techniques for 10-20 minutes per day can be very helpful in managing the negative side effects of stress on your mental and physical heath. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position where you will not be disturbed for 10-20 minutes. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a pleasant, relaxing place, such as a beach, a…

Nursing Homes Need Support, Not Blame

By Jill Vitale-Aussem, LNHA, MMH, author of Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift This post was originally shared on www.jillvitaleaussem.com and has been re-posted here with permission. View the original post here. I had hoped, with the current focus on healthcare workers as heroes, that the demonizing of nursing homes would cease during the pandemic. It hasn’t. I’ve seen very few news stories blaming hospitals when patients die from COVID-19 but nearly every story about people dying in a nursing home outbreak somehow blames the nursing home. While there are always some bad apples,…

Dementia Care at a Distance

The COVID-19 crisis is taking a heavy toll on all of us, particularly family and professional care partners. Visitors are prohibited in most residential care communities; this is necessary but certainly can be distressing to families and persons with dementia. Even when we are together, we are told to stay six feet apart. The very phrase “social distancing” is the opposite of the Best Friends™ Approach and what we want in quality dementia care. In many ways, socialization is the treatment for dementia. Social distancing (and lots of handwashing) is necessary to ensure good public health practices, but can we…

Identifying and Treating Substance Abuse in Older Adults

Identifying substance abuse in an older adult Substance abuse problems are often misdiagnosed in older adults. Perhaps as a result of ageism or generational stereotyping, the topic of substance abuse and dependence is rarely associated with older adults, yet clinical research is beginning to identify the consequences of unrecognized substance abuse in the aging population. Complications that frequently occur with age, such as medical comorbidity, cognitive impairment, and frailty, contribute to the adverse interactions between substance abuse or misuse and an aging brain. Signs that may indicate a drinking or drug problem in an older adult include the following: Solitary…

Multicultural Counseling in Social Work with Older Adults

As with all client populations, older adults are diverse and do not respond to a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment and practice techniques. The social worker’s role is to help older persons function with pride, dignity, and as much independence as possible. Individuals’ strengths and coping skills should be identified and utilized. Religious faith, family ties, and a sense of community are often sources of strength for older adults. Multicultural counseling focuses on understanding not only racial and ethnic minority groups (e.g., African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans), but also LGBTQ men and women, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities,…

Hospice: How It Started and What It Has Become

Read the book! The Hospice Team Who We Are and How We Care Edited by Rabbi Dr. Chaim Joseph Wender, F.LBC, and Patricia Ellen Morrison, L.C.S.W. Copyright © 2019 by Health Professions Press, Inc. All rights reserved. This series of 21 essays from 9 disciplines of hospice care will give you an inside look into what hospice truly is and the many ways in which the hospice team cares for those who are approaching the end of life. Learn more…

Integrative Therapy: Compassionate Touch in Hospice Care

By Shannon Noble, Integrative Therapist and Volunteer Coordinator. This post has been adapted from The Hospice Team: Who We Are and How We Care. Over the years that I have worked in hospice services, first as an integrative therapist and then as a volunteer coordinator, the two most common responses when people learn about what I do for a living are, “It must be very depressing work,” or, “One must be an angel to work for hospice.” Both are untrue, and I hope, through my perspective working with hospice patients and their volunteers, to shed light on the…

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