Use of novel multi-sensory dementia tools to improve quality of life of seniors with dementia and their caregivers

Emerging Leaders in Health Promotion grant program

Improving the quality of life of seniors with dementia, including reducing stress for the dementia sufferers and caregiver/family burnout, was the motivation behind Dr. Catherine Cheng’s Emerging Leaders in Health Promotion project (2016-17 grant year).

The objectives for Dr. Cheng’s ELiHP project, Use of novel multi-sensory dementia tools to improve quality of life of seniors with dementia and their caregivers, included:

1.To create a useful and accessible multi-sensory dementia tool to benefit the user by minimizing stressful symptoms associated with dementia, such as fidgeting, restlessness, wandering behaviors and agitation, and by doing so, to reduce caregiver burnout.

2.To provide awareness/education sessions, a symposium on optimizing brain health for seniors in the community about the signs and symptoms of dementia, and prevention strategies to maintain quality brain health.

With her desire to create and introduce a multi-sensory tool to individuals with dementia, Dr. Cheng identified a gap that existed in treatment of seniors with dementia for whom traditional recreation and brain-stimulating activities were too complex.

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Read the full September-October 2019 issue of Alberta Doctors' Digest at ADD.albertadoctors.org.

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