ComForCare is building on its DementiaWise training program with the rollout of a 2.0 version.
“We do feel that the DementiaWise program is a differentiator,” Stephanie Wierzbicka, director of strategic health programs at ComForCare, wrote in an email to Home Health Care News. “The program is designed to equip caregivers with the tools and knowledge to provide a high level of care to the clients that are living with dementia.”
ComForCare is a home care franchise organization that has hundreds of locations independently-owned and operated in Canada and the U.S. ComForCare operates as At Your Side in Houston, Texas, and under the umbrella company Best Life Brands.
Launched in 2013, DementiaWise was a training program for ComForCare caregivers and the family members of patients with dementia. The program centered around a 8.5-hour dementia best practices course, which aims to help seniors age in place longer.
The original DementiaWise received recognition from the Alzheimer’s Association for its focus on evidence-based dementia care practices. Plus, in 2022, researchers at Duke University found that caregivers who went through the program felt better prepared, and experienced more job satisfaction.
DementiaWise 2.0 is an advanced version of the program that aims to provide a deeper understanding of the stages of dementia. This is meant to make sure that an individual living with dementia is receiving the right kind of care based on the stage they’re at.
“DementiaWise 2.0 teaches that the progression of dementia is like a journey with road signs signaling changes that require home care teams to adapt with every individual they care for,” Wierzbicka said. “It’s expected for a person’s need to change with a progressive disease. DementiaWise teaches caregivers to collaborate with the entire care team when facing new challenges, rather than addressing challenges alone.”
The program will be available through the Relias platform, and consists of five additional hours of training spread over eight training modules. It includes new staging guides, caregiver daily schedules and a DementiaWise 2.0 manual.
Overall, ComForCare’s program is addressing an issue that is prevalent in the U.S., as the amount of individuals living with dementia continues to skyrocket.
Almost seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and this number is slated to triple by 2060, ComForCare noted in a press release.
ComForCare, in particular, has seen an uptick in dementia patients.
“The majority of clients that the offices see have some stage of dementia,” Wierzbicka said. “The statistics overall show that dementia is on the rise and this aligns with the increase of the aging population overall. For these reasons, we knew it was important to develop DementiaWise to ensure caregivers are able to provide the best care to clients.”
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