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The Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool was created to help caregivers/care partners respond to challenging behaviours expressed by persons living with dementia. The written material that follows is an explanation of the tool and how it is to be used. There are also 4 videos. There is a video called “Introduction” and 3 case scenarios involving actors. It is best to watch the “Introduction” video first. The 3 case scenarios involve a caregiver and a person living with dementia. In each situation, the caregiver tries to respond to a challenging situation using the tool Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool.

Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool TM Pocket Guide

It is strongly recommended that you download the pocket guide version of the Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool. This way you can refer to it quickly and easily when you need to use it. It can be printed out or you may consider saving it to you handheld device, tablet, or computer.
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Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool TM: Instruction Manual

Being a primary caregiver to a person living with dementia can present unique challenges. The person living with dementia may have changes in behaviour such as getting easily upset, wanting to leave, yelling, anger, and even physical behaviours such as pushing or hitting. These behaviours are not intentional, but rather a way that the person is trying communicate their needs or how they are feeling. Caregivers may feel overwhelmed and under-equipped to respond to these types of behaviours. To make matters more complicated, the person living with dementia will react based on how the caregiver responds to them causing behaviours to further intensify as illustrated in the following cycle:

In this example of the cycle shown above, the person living with dementia is yelling and the caregiver does not know why. The caregiver becomes frustrated and irritated. This reaction by the caregiver causes more yelling and agitation in the person living with dementia, causing the cycle to continue. The Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool tries to prevent this cycle from developing in the first place. The behaviour of the person living with dementia can be very difficult to understand – why is the person yelling? Is there some need that isn’t being met? Do they want something? Are they too hot? Are they too cold? Are they in pain? Are they scared? Are they bored? The person living with dementia may not be able to explain why they are upset and yelling.

The key is for the caregiver to not react immediately. That is where the Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool comes into action. By following a few steps, the caregiver may be able to better understand what is going on and address the situation more effectively.

Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool TM

The tool uses the acronym CARER to help remind caregivers of the 5 steps. Please see below:
C - (Step 1)     Calm down (self-talk)
A - (Step 2)    Attend to the interaction without immediately reacting
R - (Step 3)    Reflect on your own feelings
E - (Step 4)    Empathize with the other person’s feelings
R - (Step 5)    Respond

Please click on the (+) sign below to see an explanation of each step.


Videos

 

Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool TM Pocket Guide

It is strongly recommended that you download the pocket guide version of the Baycrest Quick-Response Caregiver Tool TM. This way you refer to it quickly and easily when you need to use it. It can be printed out or you may consider saving it to you handheld device, tablet, or computer.

© 2019, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.  All rights reserved.  A single copy of these materials may be reprinted/downloaded for non-commercial personal use only.