Civitas Senior Living Enhances Memory Care With Positive Approach™ To Care Methods After Several Staff Members Become Certified PAC Trainers

Fort Worth, TX /PRNewswire/ - Civitas Senior Living, an innovative Fort Worth-based senior living management company, has begun to incorporate Positive Approach™ to Care (PAC) methods across all of its communities in an effort to enhance the level of service offered to its memory care residents. PAC is a person-centered approach to dementia care that both educates the caregiver and empowers them to provide highly-individualized care to every resident.

"At Civitas, resident care is our passion, so we're always looking for new, evidence-based methods that will boost quality of life for our residents," said Bobby Lane, R.N., M.S.N., C.N.L., Chief Wellness Officer. "We value the Positive Approach™ because it gives our caregivers and other staff the information and tools they need to really empathize with a resident and understand their needs."

Since February, several Civitas corporate staff members have become PAC Certified Independent Trainers - a process that requires six hours of online training, eight hours of classroom training, and continuous post-training follow-up. Once certified, a trainer can go to any Civitas community and teach the managers and care staff about what the Positive Approach™ is, what it means, and how it benefits their residents living with dementia.

"Not only do we get to go over what dementia is and how it affects our residents but we also teach our staff how to better approach and relate to them using the PAC methods," said Brooke Wood, LVN, Regional Memory Care Specialist for Civitas. Positive Approach®, LLC calls these methods "care partnering techniques" as they focus on using what unique needs and abilities each resident does have to facilitate more positive interactions between them and their caregivers.

So far the Civitas Certified PAC Trainers have been to over half of the communities and the overall effect has been positive. "There is a care partnering technique called hand under hand assistance that is used to help a resident perform essential motor skills such as eating without sacrificing their contribution to the task," Wood said. "One of our staff members used this technique continuously on a resident who wasn't able to eat much on his own. This resident has now regained this ability."

Initially, Civitas' Certified PAC Trainers will visit each community to introduce the methods. The ultimate goal is to fully train every Civitas memory care staff member at the community level so that the techniques can be implemented across the board. For more information about the Positive Approach™ to Caring, please visit www.teepasnow.com.

About Civitas Senior Living, LLC
Civitas Senior Living is a senior living owner/operator, property management, and consulting company based in Fort Worth that specializes in the development, acquisition, and operational management of senior housing properties. These properties include assisted living and memory care residences and independent senior living facilities. Civitas is known for its signature Passion Program, which ensures a high-quality, comprehensive continuum of care through a unique integration of all the factors that affect community management. For more information about Civitas, please visit www.CivitasSeniorLiving.com, or call (817) 386-8888.