Beyond Activities
to
Engagement
FAST FORWARD
› Social engagement is an
umbrella term that applies
to a variety of activities
and strategies, including
Montessori techniques,
validation, personal
engagement, and person-centered care.
The latest research demonstrates the
crucial role of social interaction in en-
hancing quality of life for seniors with
alzheimer’s disease and dementia
By anya Martin
› Staff training in how to
engage individual residents
with various levels of cognitive
decline, as well as in how to
facilitate group activities, is
critical to a successful social
engagement program.
› With the right education
and training, seniors’ families
and friends can be partners
in achieving quality of life for
memory care residents.
Alzheimer’s disease affects 5. 4 million, or one in eight, Ameri- cans. That number is expected to triple by 2050 to as many as
16 million as the baby boomers age
and life spans increase due to medi-
cal advances. While scientists are un-
derstanding more about the changes
in the brain that lead to memory loss,
they seem to be making little progress
in finding medical ways to slow or cure
this disease. That means that senior liv-
ing communities must be ready to serve
more memory care residents.
