Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, in partnership with UW Health Care Direct (formerly Chartwell Midwest Wisconsin Home Health Agency, formerly UW Home Health), designed and implemented training for home health clinicians and caregivers caring for a person with dementia in their home. Our goal was to help people with dementia live at home for as long as possible by supporting their caregivers. The training included two manuals of useful tips, one for clinicians and one for caregivers.
Clinician Manual
The Clinician Manual is meant to serve as a tool to empower home health nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists to treat and support the individual with dementia and to train caregivers to handle common medical concerns associated with the later stages of dementia.
The goal is to avoid hospitalizations or emergency room visits by managing common medical complications of dementia by:
- Preventing common medical complications
- Identifying a problem early
- Managing the problem
- Recognizing when a treatment is not working and seeking help early, prior to an unplanned hospitalization or emergency department visit
Each module in the Clinician Manual corresponds to a module in the Caregiver Manual. Each module provides a brief, evidence-informed synopsis of medical problems associated with moderate to severe dementia, as well as care plan goals related to providing education on that topic for the caregiver.
Objectives for the Clinician Manual:
- Increase home health clinician knowledge about the medical complications of moderate to severe dementia
- Increase home health clinician self-efficacy to train caregivers of individuals with moderate to severe dementia
Caregiver Manual
The Caregiver Manual is a teaching tool and resource for caregivers. Each module includes information for caregivers, as well as teach back questions for the nurse to assess the learner’s understanding of the material.
Objectives for the Caregiver Manual:
- Increase caregiver confidence to handle common medical problems associated with dementia
- Decrease caregiver burden and stress
- Reduce unplanned hospitalizations or emergency department visits
Download the manuals
Dementia Capable WI Home Health Guides
Please fill out this form before downloading the home health guides. By downloading the guide, you agree to be contacted by WAI and provide information about how you intend to use the guide.