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Jean: Diagnosed with Dementia

When We Started

Jean was 70 years old and had a successful career. Her family was caring and her siblings and children were involved in her life. At one point, she lived in a senior community but was not able to stay there because of her increasingly difficult behaviors. She was moved back to her own home and was living alone with part-time, non-medical agency caregiving services in place.

Below are some of her behaviors:

  • Napping 2-3 times during the day
  • Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol
  • Got up several times during the night
  • Moods and negative behaviors included agitation, anger and aggression
  • Medication compliance was questionable at best
  • Poor diet and not exercising adequately
Portrait of senior woman, indoors, smiling

Interventions We Performed

  • Restaffed the caregiving team
  • Implemented medication changes and monitored behavior
  • Implemented changes to improve the safety of the home and yard
  • Established a daily routine including better diet and exercise, among other things
  • Provided training and coaching with the home care agency and family members

Outcome for Jean

  • Stopped smoking and drinking
  • Cooperated around taking her medications
  • Negative behaviors were eliminated
  • Sleeping patterns were returned to a normal schedule
  • Moods changed from negative to happy and upbeat, with improved diet, exercise habits