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Inside The Best Friends Staff, Second Edition

The second edition of the bestselling staff training tool from the Best Friends™ product suite is packed with resources to help staff in dementia care gain the required skills and confidence to deliver optimal care and succeed in this challenging caregiver role. Here, we break down the contents of the…
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How Can The Best Friends Staff Work for Me?

The Best Friends Staff: Learning to Deliver Exceptional Dementia Care focuses on the education and training for professionals learning to create an outstanding memory care program. The book is written for a wide audience of individuals working in long-term care settings, such as in-home services, adult day centers, assisted living,…
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Intergenerational Activities: Using the Best Friends Approach with Children

With the Best Friends™ approach, activities are more than just what’s on the calendar. Using Best Friends, almost everything can become an extended, interesting opportunity for engagement. A simple handshake can lead to a discussion about fingernail polish, gloves, work done by hand, “lifelines,” rings on fingers, promise rings, weddings,…
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The Top 5 Reasons to Become a Best Friends Master Trainer

The Best Friends™ approach to dementia care is among the most well-known and highly regarded humanistic approaches to providing care for people with dementia. The Best Friends™ Master Trainer Certification program is designed to produce a qualified on-site staff member who can provide ongoing training, coaching, support, inspiration, and…
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The Differences Between Bullying and Challenging Behaviors in Long-Term Care

Older adults in long-term care Although many behaviors exhibited by older adults can be challenging, the situation in which behavior occurs and the type of behavior often determine whether it is actually bullying versus a challenging behavior whereby a resident is simply being rude or unpleasant. Key factors that define…
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Is It Bullying?

Download this handy infographic that compares and contrasts elder abuse, bullying, nonbullying behaviors, and challenging behaviors. Read the book! Bullying Among Older Adults How to Recognize and Address an Unseen Epidemic By Robin P. Bonifas, Ph.D., M.S.W. Copyright © 2016 by Health Professions Press,…
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Getting Started with the Life Story

Respect, trust, humor, support—these are all things we share with our friends. We know our friend’s occupations, marital status, general interests, favorite foods, type of car, hobbies, and other details. We know their family history and traditions, likes and dislikes, even some of their secrets! We also know their strengths…
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Questions that Enrich a Life Story

The Life Story in dementia care is a person’s right to be known and be among people who care. To help ensure that right, you need to learn a lot about the person and incorporate that into your everyday relationship. You can use this knowledge to bring up favorite memories…
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Tips to Lessen Your Risk of Choking

Even if you have swallowing challenges, eating foods you enjoy can lead to improved nutrition, desired body weight, and overall improved quality of life. Use this infographic for quick tips on minimizing your risk of choking. Download PDF Read the book! The Inside Scoop on Informed Choice…
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