Rethinking Dementia Care with Dr. Éthelle Lord: Staffing, Communication, and Real Solutions

In this episode of Dementia Caregivers Corner, we’re joined by Dr. Éthelle Lord, a leading expert in dementia care, Master Dementia Coach, and creator of the Transactional Dementia Intelligence (TDI) model. We explore the critical challenges in long-term care, including staff-to-resident ratios and communication gaps between families and care providers, and discuss how these impact both residents and caregivers. Dr. Lord also explains her Lord’s Theory on the psychology of the dementia brain, and how new care models like TDI are shaping better outcomes in dementia care.

 

Key Points Discussed

 

Staffing Challenges: How low staff-to-resident ratios affect residents’ emotional and physical care.

 

Communication Gaps: The importance of effective communication between families and care teams.

 

Innovative Care Models: Introduction to the Transactional Dementia Intelligence (TDI) model and how it differs from traditional approaches.

 

Key Takeaways

 

Consistent staffing improves relationships, understanding, and wellbeing for both residents and caregivers.

 

Engaging families and caregivers in care planning enhances quality of care and reduces stress.

 

Learning and applying new models, like TDI, helps approach dementia care holistically and personally.

 

Let me take this time and Thank you, our dear listeners, for tuning in to this episode! If you enjoyed our conversation with Dr Lord or are passionate about dementia care, please consider leaving a review and sharing this episode with someone who might benefit from it. Your support helps us reach more people and raise awareness about dementia-related issues