Teaching Health Education to Dementia/Alzheimer's Pts.

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Hi All nurses,

I really could use your guidance in creating interactive activities for teaching Health Education to Older Adults. Any books or website suggestions you know of will be very useful too.

I recently started a new job working with Older Adults/Seniors and did my first health education presentation on "Medication Safety". After preparing a Powerpoint, two word search games (with large print), and stopping periodically to ask them questions such as: Does anyone have a pill reminder/organizer case?....... my efforts were futile. I've seen almost all of them with those M-F pill cases, yet, no one spoke. Eight out of 30 clients were capable of doing the word search puzzles.

I wanted to cry for myself, but, mostly for them, because it felt like I had tortured them for 45 minutes. It was painful! I walked into work that morning thinking, I'm going to help "my seniors" with all this information I've gathered. Then, I was knocked over with tidal waves of blank stares.

Well, it's a new week and I'm going to try again!! Please help me fulfill my job duties of teaching health education to Older Adults clients. Roughly two-thirds have dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease or some other type of cognitive impairment. I want to make this an enjoyable activity for them while they are at the center.

Looking forward to reading the suggestions. Thanks to all!

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

Are you sure these people have enough cognitive ability to learn and retain new information? Will they be going home? Your time might be better spent teaching their family members if they will be the caregivers.

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Hi CapeCodMermaid,

Thanks for responding. Great idea about providing the caregivers with the health education, instead of the Older Adult attendees at the center. Only thing is the person who is currently leading the caregivers meetings is very power-hungry and hates that the facility has hired a RN. She would rather the caregivers not have the information, than to share the meeting responsibilities with me. She was hired quickly to fill the center manager's role, even though she doesn't have the degree requirements they have used for past hires.

No, this particular group of seniors, does not have the cognitive abilities to learn patient education materials. I'm not trying to be mean, but, many of them enter the facility daily and act like it's the first time they have ever been there. In the same day, many have to be repeatedly reminded how to get to the restroom. So, preparing health topics as a Powerpoint presentation is useless, but, I was hoping to get some ideas on different interactive activities I could try and then somehow incorporate health education into the activity.

My next presentation is later this week and I have no choice because health education is a major part of my job role/requirements. Plus, I love giving patient education.

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Find a way to use music from that generation. Those with dementia do well with this music. Maybe play music and show pictues on a slide show from the major events from that generation as well. Maybe show commercials related to health care products.

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Awesome advice xoemmylouox. I gave my second health education topic today and we played a game. It went a little better.

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