Home - America's Dementia Coach

The presence of a memory impairing disease does not in any way lessen a person’s humanity or their unique individuality.

America’s Dementia Coach was launched in 2015 to provide caregivers the tools and resources to effectively communicate and interact with residents and loved ones.

ADC provides two specific types of trainings; one provides a solution-based program for Assisted Living providers. Through a holistic programmatic approach staff are taught how the needs of residents living with memory loss can be approached. The program is customizable to any size of community from just a few residents to many. Each department within a community will walk away with a fresh approach to their role in the lives of residents.

Since many of the challenges faced by professionals and providers have changed over the years secondary to regulatory requirements, we added the nationally recognized NCCDP training modules to our services. Our team is able to prepare you and your staff for CDP certification through NCCDP. This training provides staff with the resources and tools necessary to address the needs of an increasing number of residents living with dementia.

PROGRAMS

iCARE Dementia Training

National Council of Certified Practitioners CDP Training

Finding Joy in Their Journey

PROGRAMS

iCARE Dementia Training

National Council of Certified Practitioners CDP Training

Finding Joy in Their Journey

America’s Dementia Coach (ADC) is offering Skilled Nursing and Life Plan Communities the opportunity to participate in the iCARE Project.

This program provides a programmatic approach to multidisciplinary teams working in dementia care. iCARE brings together each of the disciplines and prepares them for daily interactions with both residents and family members. Through a personalized approach, every staff member in the care community will learn to effectively communicate with residents. The training is completed through the nationally recognized NCCDP program and employees will be prepared to become CDP certified through the organization.

Looking for information about the Iowa iCARE Dementia Training Project?

What is iCARE?

Allows Skilled Nursing and Life Plan communities to integrate Certified Alzheimer’s Required Education (iCARE) into their community standards
Provides the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP) Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) Training — The DCP curriculum is recognized by CMS and the NCCDP is listed on the CMS Crosswalk page

CDP Training

Provides fundamental education on dementia and dementia care
Enhances the quality of life of dementia residents through education care providers
Fosters sensitivity and respect for residents living with dementia
Teaches communication techniques
Conveys sensitive approaches for assisting residents with activities of daily living

iCARE Goals

Improve the quality of life of residents
Empower staff by providing the CDP Training to improve staff/resident interactions

Training

Onsite
Conducted by a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer (CADDCT)
Maximum 15 staff members per community
Training materials provided

Participants will…

Have an understanding of dementia
Identify common causes of aggressive, repetitive, and sundowning behaviors
Describe behavioral/care interventions that may be used to prevent or reduce difficult care situations
Describe challenges related to caregiver stress and utilize stress reduction techniques
Learn alternative activity interventions that are success-oriented and failure-free

Post-Training

Submit certification applications
Obtain certification number and certificate
Customized Refresher Trainings
Continued support
List of CEU availability (annually)

This nationally certified training program is offered to all communities and organizations who work with seniors. We provide the 8-hour training which is required prior to you or your staff applying for the CDP certification. Training can be provided onsite or virtually. The 8-hour class is interactive and provides fresh approaches for staff working with seniors who have dementia and other memory loss diseases. We offer group rates for larger corporate groups. We also offer other regularly scheduled training that individuals can sign up for and attend.

Every resident is an individual with a unique history, cultural background and set of life experiences. The presence of a memory impairing disease does not in any way lessen a person’s humanity or their unique individuality. At the core of this program is the concept of “we are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen”. This philosophy must be lived out and followed by all staff members if the program is to work in the way it is intended.

By gathering information from the past, we can develop and build a program that addresses resident specific environmental and programmatic needs that is supportive and encourages individuality in all areas of the person’s life. This includes their ability to be creative, their level of enjoyment for socialization, and all other aspects of their daily life. It is important to value each individual resident and honor their preferences as well as likes and dislikes. By providing both time-honored and innovative care ideas along with support to individuals with memory impairing diseases, your community will be the choice of families and professionals.

Our program is adaptable to fit the specific needs of your community. Prior to providing the in-person training, time is taken to meet with leadership at the local level so that we can incorporate and personalize the training to your community. No matter what area of the community your staff works in, there is specific training modules that will help them in their daily interactions with your residents. Training has been tailored to fit into a one-day session or can be broken up over 2 days. The concepts taught are tried and true and have been used over the years by the author. We provide opportunity for staff to sit back and enjoy learning innovative approaches to an age-old problem. Your staff will walk away reinvigorated and ready to face the daily dilemmas of caring for residents with an array of memory care issues.

After the training, we are available for annual refresher trainings, webinars, and other requested training.

COACHING

Beginning back in the late 1990s, the founder of America’s Dementia Coach, Melonie Tindall, saw a need for relatable training in all levels of care. In 1996, a small but powerful consulting service began and provided assistance and training to families and community-based services. By 2015, the need for focused dementia specific training was realized and America’s Dementia Coach was born.

Through focused and reliable training methods, families can receive the training that they need to be successful. Our training is tailored to your specific needs, and personal attention is given in order to make the training something that works for your specific situation. The training sessions are individual and not done in a group setting.

Throughout her career, Melonie has seen many different and unique situations and understands that each case is completely unique. Because of this, we offer meaningful and workable solutions to meet your individual needs. We offer a free 30-minute consultation to talk through the specifics of what you would like your package to look like. There are 4 bundles available, and the training can be spread out over a one-year period.