Approved Home Health aides undergo extra Alzheimer’s, dementia training

Care team better equipped to help family members manage care for their loved ones.

An estimated 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs estimates more than 37,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of cognitive impairment known as dementia, it only represents between 60 and 80 percent of all dementia cases. That means there are as many as 50,000 people living with cognitive impairment along the Suncoast.

Approved Home Health, Stratum’s private-duty home health agency, recognized the need for caregivers qualified to serve Alzheimer’s and dementia patients in our area. To better serve this population, Approved Home Health sought additional training for some of its home health aides through the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Eight AHH aides completed 10 hours of professional Alzheimer’s and dementia training, exceeding the state Agency for Health Care Administration requirement of two hours. The result is a care team better equipped to help family members manage care for their loved ones.

“It is with great pride that we have developed this specialized program to meet the needs of the increasing population of those afflicted with a degenerative, cognitive illness in our community,” said Rob Coseo, Approved Home Health’s executive director. “Our aides now have even more confidence in their ability to provide compassionate and engaging care and deliver peace of mind and essential respite to a family caregiver.”

The training covered a range of topics, including employing effective communication strategies, combating difficult behaviors and developing meaningful, engaging activities appropriate for early, middle or end stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

To learn more about Approved Home Health’s Alzheimer’s and dementia programs, call 941-870-8740.