Care Planning Resource Guide for Families
The goal of this tool is to provide you with resources on Alzheimer’s and other dementias to help your loved one after diagnosis. Below you will find helpful links on safety, self-care and hygiene, behavioral changes, legal and financial topics, and other available resources you may find helpful.
The Alzheimer’s Association MA/NH Chapter also has a 24/7 Helpline available to help you find resources or to set up a Care Consultation with an expert in care planning for individuals with dementia and their families. Open 24 hours a day for 7 days a week, our Helpline is available in more than 200 languages and serves as a gateway to all of our programs and services.
For additional resources in other languages, visit alz.org/global.
Safety
- Home Safety
- Community Safety
Self-Care & Hygiene
Behavioral Changes
- Dementia-related Behaviors (agitation, delusions, delirium, hallucinations, suspicions, repetition, anxiety, aggression, depression, apathy, suicidal ideations or behavior) (Some individuals with dementia don’t develop any of these symptoms, but many do, so here is some helpful information)
- Sundowning
- Sleep Disruption and Behaviors
- Aggressive Behavior
- Wandering
Legal/Financial
- Advanced Directives (health care proxy, estate planning)
- Decision-making Capacity (financial, health, other)
- Finances
- Elder Abuse (MA Adult Protective Services)
- Undue Influence
- VA Benefits
- Transitioning Care Environment
- Medicare/Medicaid
- End of Life Care/Hospice
Caregiver Resources
- Transportation
- Transitioning Care Environment
- Nursing Home Comparison
- Assisted Living Search
- Home Care Resources
- Disease Education
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Vascular Dementia
- Frontotemporal Dementia
- Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- Support Groups
- Caregiver Health
- 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900)
- Disease/Medication Management
- Disability for those Diagnosed Before Age 65
- Social Security Disability
- Technology support
Community Resources
- Day Programs
- Finding Resources in Your Community
- Alzheimer’s Association Programs and Events
- Community Services
- Medical Services and Diagnostic Clinics
- Housing Options
- Care at Home
- Memory Cafes
- Early Stage Programs (AlzMeetUps)
- Access to Clinical Trials
- Education Programs
- Dementia Action Alliance
- Aging Services Access Points
Pain has an impact on behavior, function and quality of life for people living with dementia, but is one of the most mismanaged conditions. The challenges of understanding and treating acute and chronic pain for those with dementia are complex and often overlooked. Identifying and treating pain requires the ability to listen to what individuals are communicating through behaviors and body language. To treat pain for someone with dementia we must look beyond the words. This keynote offers the opportunity to explore strategies for identifying and managing pain including the use of standardized tools for assessment and monitoring along with the use of medications for individualizing comfort measures.
Melanie Bunn, GNP, MS, RN, is a Consulting Associate at the Duke University School of Nursing, Certified Trainer, Coach and Consultant for Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care, and has her own education consulting company, Bunn Consulting. She received her degree in Nursing from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Master’s degree in Family Health Nursing from Clemson University and a Post-Master’s Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Certificate from Duke University. She has provided primary care to older people in a variety of settings including retirement homes, long term care nursing, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and in the home as a gerontological nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist and staff nurse. In 2014, Ms. Bunn was awarded the Dr. Ewald W. Busse Award by the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services Department of Health and Human Services for her contributions to improving the care of older adults with dementia and their families.
James Wessler
Paul S. Stuka
Barry Greene
Thomas A. Croswell