Implementing Meaningful Activity Approaches for Residents with Dementia in Assisted Living

Only available as part of a package

Session Summary: Engagement in meaningful activity is beneficial for residents with dementia by enhancing well-being, reducing behavioral symptoms, and potentially decreasing sedentary behavior. This session will share practical, theory-based approaches that can be implemented in post-acute and long-term care settings to improve meaningful activity engagement for residents with dementia. We will present a four-step approach, motivational techniques, and a pragmatic tool designed to help staff and providers in these settings identify opportunities for meaningful activity for residents with dementia. Additionally, findings will be presented from a pilot study, funded by the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, to demonstrate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this approach for engaging residents with dementia in meaningful activity within assisted living communities.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the benefits and challenges of meaningful activity engagement for residents with dementia
  • Describe how to utilize a four-step approach to optimize meaningful activity engagement for residents with dementia in your assisted living community
  • Demonstrate use of a pragmatic tool to identify individualized opportunities for meaningful activity that are tailored to the residenta??s preferences and interests

Sarah Holmes, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor

University of Maryland School of Nursing

Dr. Holmes is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health. With her multidisciplinary background in gerontology and social work, she has specific expertise in the care of older adults across a variety of clinical settings. The focus of her research is on optimizing care environments that will lead to improved outcomes for residents with dementia living in post-acute and long-term care settings. She collaborates on an interdisciplinary team to provide wellness services that promote healthy behaviors and improve health outcomes among residents in low-income senior housing communities.

Sorah Levy, PhD(c), RN, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT

Doctoral Student

University of Maryland School of Nursing

Sorah Levy MSN, RN, RAC-CT is a PhD student at University of Maryland School of Nursing. Ms. Levy holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland School of Nursing Health Services Leadership and Management Program and Bachelor of Science, Nursing from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Ms. Levy’s research interests are focused on examining the impact of social determinants of health on those living in PALTC with an emphasis on the factors that influence the relationship between race and reporting and/or treatment of pain among cognitively impaired nursing home residents. Clinically, Ms. Levy serves on the regional team of Engage Healthcare. In this role she collaborates on an interprofessional level to execute changes in practice with the sole objective of enhancing the quality of care and quality of life of the residents living in SNFs. She is also a clinical nurse on the Thoracic and Surgical Intermediate Care Unit at University of Maryland Medical Center per diem. Ms. Levy is a member of the 2023 Futures class. She is an active member of the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing and a member of the Legislative Committee for the Maryland Nurses Association.

Elizabeth Galik, PhD, CRNP, FAANP, FAAN

Professor

University of Maryland School of Nursing

Elizabeth Galik, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, and a nurse practitioner who specializes in the medical and neuropsychiatric care of older adults with dementia. Dr. Galik has practiced clinically as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in post-acute and long-term care settings for 30 years. Currently, she is a nurse practitioner with the Sheppard Pratt Health System where she maintains a clinical practice focused on dementia symptom management in assisted living communities and in home care.

Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP

Professor

University of Maryland

Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP is a Professor and the Associate Dean of Research at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and she holds the Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology. She currently does clinical work in a housecalls program and assisted living and her research is focused on motivating older adults to engage in physical activity and other health promoting activities and implementation of evidence based interventions in long term care.
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