Document Type
Capstone
Abstract
The purpose of the Capstone project was to provide an occupation-based training program for care team members who provide care for residents with Alzheimer's disease (AD), specifically during the morning routine in the long-term care setting. This is an occupation-based training program because it provides caregivers with skills and knowledge to improve interactions during activities of daily living (AD Ls) and reduce challenging behaviors often associated with AD: depression, agitation, increased confusion, and resistance to care. Individuals with mid to late-stage AD frequently exhibit an increase in challenging behaviors during the morning care routine. This increased challenge is often met with a lack of understanding from care team members resulting in stressful care routines and even pharmaceutical interventions. Occupational therapy provides an alternative by focusing on improving ADLs and reducing chemical interventions which only mask the problem. Through focus group discussions and informal interviews, the student discovered the care team members had almost no training about the challenges of AD. To address this, the student defined four objectives of the Capstone project: increase care team members' knowledge, job satisfaction, and ensure an ability to carry out the training as well as a willingness to do so. The student conducted a survey to asses if these objectives were met. Based on their answers, the caregivers felt an increase in their knowledge and ability to carry out effective, occupation-based approaches in the morning care routine. If the training is implemented effectively, residents will experience fewer challenging behaviors during the morning care routine.
Publication Date
2017
Recommended Citation
Traffas, Sam, "Occupation-Based Training to Reduce Challenging Behaviors of Alzheimer's Patients during Morning Routine" (2017). MOT Student Capstones. 88.
https://riches.cabarruscollege.edu/mot-student-capstones/88
