Dementia Care: Using the GEMS States Model for Personal Care Tasks

Course overview

This course will help direct care providers and clinicians see beyond the inevitable losses that happen when someone develops and lives with dementia and focus instead on what is still possible when completing ADL tasks. In the course, we will focus on recognizing and making use of retained abilities, skills, and interests from the first signs of the condition until the end of the journey to complete self-care activities. By encouraging the use of a language that highlights the unique and valuable characteristics of each state of function, care partners can better respond to the altered capacity of the person who is changing. This new perspective will foster the development and use of effective strategies that match what is possible and what is needed to engage, interact, and encourage participation in self-care activities.