For seniors and their families faced with a transition to a memory care community, the uncertainties can be overwhelming. Sometimes it’s difficult to shake the worry that a community won’t offer the compassion and comfort a loved one deserves. At Village Manor, we’re happy to reassure families with The Best Friends™ Approach to care – an internationally renowned method that centers care on personal preferences and loving relationships between residents and caregivers.
Originally developed for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Bridgepointe at Village Manor implements The Best Friends Approach in all lifestyle services, providing the individualized attention and support every resident deserves.
“Best Friends is an approach to dementia like no other,” said Kayla Jones, Memory Care Coordinator at Bridgepointe at Village Manor. “Through Best Friends you are
able to communicate with that resident on a personal note and really understand their life story and what makes them them. Living with the losses of dementia can create loneliness, anger and embarrassment. By using the Best Friends Approach and knowing that person’s life story, we’re able to turn those losses into trust, connection, and confidence.”
Understanding the Best Friends Approach
The Best Friends Approach was developed in 1997 by Virginia Bell, MSW, and David Troxel, MPH, both masters in the field of caregiving for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Since then, it has grown to become an internationally recognized model for senior care. Together, Bell and Troxel have over 60 years of experience working at the university and community levels, using their expertise to create an effective, meaningful model of care.
At the heart of The Best Friends Approach is the understanding that relationships are fundamental to supportive care. Empathy, respect, support, trust and humor – the essential elements of friendship – create a meaningful bond between seniors and their caregivers and allow those with dementia to live with dignity and purpose, despite their memory loss and its limitations.
How Residents Benefit from Best Friends
The Best Friends Approach is an accumulation of the best practices in memory care, emphasizing key principles of compassion, empathy and respect in the face of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and all the challenges of memory impairment. The model acknowledges that those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease still deserve the right to a meaningful quality of life, as well as the compassionate care required to promote a purposeful, fulfilling lifestyle.
To demonstrate this belief, Bell and Troxel developed The Best Friends Dementia Bill of Rights, which states that every person deserves to be “informed of their diagnosis and have ongoing medical care; treated as an adult, listened to and given respect for their feelings and point of view; to be around those who know their life story; to experience meaningful engagement throughout the day; to live in an environment that’s both safe and stimulating; to be part of a community; and to be cared for by well-trained professionals.”
The Best Friends Approach allows caregivers to form a relationship that in turn delivers a meaningful care experience. At the center is the idea that the best care begins with the acknowledgment of a person’s life story – a story that is unique, important and worthy of being told. Then, the benefits of friendship can begin to transform lives. The more a caregiver knows about the one they’re caring for, the more they can provide appropriate assistance and support.
Knowing someone’s life story is exceptionally important for those with memory loss, since many seniors with dementia can no longer share their stories on their own. Often, the caregiver works as a detective to get to know a person with dementia, seeking the help of family members to understand their new friend. They learn about the person’s likes and dislikes, hobbies and pastimes, occupations, childhood memories, milestones, family members and more. This knowledge transforms into individualized services, activities and conversations that promote exceptional care and dignity for those living within a community.
Where Caregivers and Residents Become Best Friends
At Bridgepointe at Village Manor, The Best Friends Approach truly changes lives – not only those of its residents, but of the care team, too. The principles and values lived out each day make the community a remarkable place to live and work.
“I love getting to know all of the extraordinary things that the residents have accomplished so far throughout their lives,” said Kayla. “By knowing this, you build that connection that will last forever. We become the residents memory and ultimately their best friend.”
Residents at Bridgepointe at Village Manor experience the priceless comfort of being known for who they are. They aren’t just another senior in another room; they are a valuable part of a community that cares about them and for them. This is the way to provide individualized care that’s worthy of those who call Bridgepointe at Village Manor home.
If you would like to learn more about the Best Friends Approach to care, contact Bridgepointe at Village Manor. Our team is always happy to share their skills and knowledge with seniors and their families.
