June 30, 2022 marks the 100th birthday of Virginia Bell, one of the most influential thought leaders in the field of dementia care over the last four decades, who continues to this day to improve the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers. HPP sat down with the legendary…

Dr. Montessori designed an array of hands-on materials for every area of the curriculum: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, Science, Geography, Culture, Art, and Music. Some of these materials can be used—or adapted for use—with elders. Whether using traditional  materials or creating your own, these manipulatives share common characteristics: progression…

A White Paper by Eilon Caspi, Ph.D. Dwayne E. Walls was an investigative reporter at The Charlotte Observer. Throughout his career, he wrote stories on social justice issues from the inner circles of the Ku Klux Klan and the homes of poor Black farmers; he also covered hunger, voter fraud…

In his book, Understanding and Preventing Harmful Interactions Between Residents with Dementia, Eilon Caspi, Ph.D., has three key things he wants readers to know about this phenomenon. 1. In the vast majority of distressing and harmful resident-to-resident interactions, people living with dementia “fight” with each other in an…

Many elders grew up in an era and in regions where racist practices were prevalent and accepted as the norm. Some of these people held racist views from their youth and continue to hold these beliefs throughout their lives, whether they openly express these views in public or suppress them…

The majority of distressing and harmful resident-to-resident interactions (DHRRIs) remain unreported. Underreporting of these episodes limits direct care partners’ ability to understand the root causes of these behavioral expressions; identify underlying unmet needs, situational frustrations, and triggering events; and anticipate and prevent future incidents. This lack of reporting is important…