Among the new approaches is the ReServe® Dementia Care Coach Program. ReServe South Florida engages retired workers age 50 and up, known as ReServists, to help government and social service agencies advance their missions and fill critical staffing needs. Many Dementia Care Program coaches are transitioning from successful careers in health care and bring a wealth of empathy and experience to the job.

 

ReServists who serve as dementia care coaches undergo 30 hours of training, including hands-on training at Miami Jewish Health, to provide affordable care for individuals with dementia, their families and caregivers.

 

“Most people don’t know how to adjust to their new role when their loved one is diagnosed with dementia. This program is addressing a societal need that will only grow in scale,” said Marc Agronin, M.D., a board-certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist and vice president for Behavioral Health and Clinical Research at Miami Jewish Health.

 

Besides assisting individuals and caregivers, the Dementia Care Coach Program provides guidance to physicians, nurses, social workers and geriatric care managers. The coach’s role is to educate paid and non-paid caregivers about the stages of dementia, help manage expectations, offer advice, set goals, and provide connections to resources. Coaches also provide company and empathy to individuals with dementia, as listeners and companions.

 

Dr. Agronin, clinical advisor to the program, is the author of “The Dementia Caregiver: A Guide to Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Neurocognitive Disorders,” a reference used by the coaches.

 

Besides training with Dr. Agronin, coaches spent time at the Miami Jewish Health EmpathiCare unit with Chrystine Kopcsik, LCSW, MSW, to learn about the benefits of music for residents. The EmpathiCare curriculum devised by Dr. Agronin teaches caregivers to actively engage with dementia patients rather than passively monitor them.

 

“These coaches work with individuals and families to alleviate fear and help bridge the gap of where the person with dementia is and where they probably are going to end up. They help families to understand there are a lot of things that can be done to help their loved one cope in a very easy, friendly way,” said ReServe South Director Doreen LoCicero.

 

LoCicero, who cared for parents with dementia, said ReServe’s decision to open the program in South Florida was a natural fit.

 

"It’s really needed, when you consider that Florida has the nation’s highest percentage of people age 60 to 80 and older. We have people in their 60s who are caring for their parents, and parents whose children are living elsewhere, with no caregivers,” she said.

 

The Dementia Care Coach Program was initiated four years ago by the late Laura Traynor, national director in New York for ReServe, a subsidiary of Fedcap.

 

“Laura connected with Kerry Mills, who wrote the book ‘I Care.’ Kerry trains people all over the country in nursing homes on the specific way people with Alzheimer’s should be handled,” LoCicero said.

 

Miguel Hernandez, M.D., ReServe South’s Dementia Care Program coordinator, participates in the initial evaluation of an individual with dementia, as well as the first meeting with family members, to help them prepare for what’s ahead.

 

“The ultimate goal is for dementia care coaches to be an asset to the community, especially low-income areas that lack other resources. We want people to know we are affordable, and we want ReServe to become a household name,” Dr. Hernandez said.

 

For outreach to families, ReServe partners with the Alzheimer’s Association, Easterseals and the Alliance for Aging. The coaches also reach out to assisted living facilities and skilled nursing homes.

 

The hourly rate to hire a coach is $18, and LoCicero said the organization is applying for grants to help supplement the cost for low-income families.