Certified Dementia Practitioner status earned our advisors!

You may have noticed that Kerry, Nancy & Janet now all have CDP listed after their names. We are very pleased to announce that all three of them have earned the credentials to be Certified Dementia Practitioners!But what is that?It is an earned credential that recognizes the highest standard in Alzheimer’s and Dementia education has been achieved.  The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioner (NCCDP) establishes the guidelines.   Each CDP completes extensive training in the areas of Alzheimer’s and Dementia.  They learn about the key aspects of dementia care including : communication techniques, disruptive behavior intervention, tools for addressing concerns like wandering, aggressive behaviors and poor nutrition.The CDP certification represents that they all received comprehensive knowledge in the area of dementia care, completed the Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care course /seminar,  met the NCCDP requirements for CDP certification, applied for the CDP certification and received the CDP certification.Some of the goals of a CDP (according to the NCCDP website) are:

1. To promote, encourage and enhance the knowledge, skills and practice of all persons who provide care to dementia services.
2. To set the bar even higher for delivery of services by health care professionals and front line staff who provide care and services to dementia clients.
3. To access the latest information, news, resources, book and online university regarding dementia care topics.

We thought it was worth pursuing because it would help us expand our knowledge and better communicate solutions to the families we work with every day.  It also helps us recognize best practices in the senior living communities in Chicago that we work with. Continuing education is part of the process, so we can continually stay current with trends, ethics, regulations, medications and new developments that pertain to Dementia. Congratulation to Kerry, Nancy & Janet!