Training & Keynote Topics

In the dementia care practice, we often hear from front-line healthcare professionals, “If only the family would get on board.”

Simultaneously, we hear from families, “No one knows my loved one better than me. The professionals need to listen to me.”

And from healthcare leaders, we hear, “I could fall asleep better at night if I knew our patients and employees were safe and equipped for dementia care—while meeting our state educational requirements.”

Having served in each of these roles, Heather McKay is gifted at fostering alignment and engagement amongst them. In her signature training style—infused with fun, humor, and highly-practical tools—she provides intensive learning to optimize dementia care practices. Her keynote and workshop programs are perfect for:

Organizations wanting to train their staff in safety and efficacy
Leaders providing direction to a dementia care team
Students seeking a deeper understanding of dementia care
Family members seeking strategies in caring for loved ones

Heather McKay introduces a model and tools to effectively communicate with and engage those with dementia. She has seen the best outcomes when caregivers rally behind shared knowledge and a common language. While remaining sensitive to each of the diverse generational and personal preferences of each individual with dementia—she presents a universally-effective model to foster safety and engagement in the groups she reaches.

Heather’s keynote and workshop delivery style is approachable, energetic—and highly effective. She consistently exceeds the mark by:

Getting audiences laughing and having fun
Equipping them with transformational tools to improve care and communication
Promoting patient/caregiver safety while meeting state educational requirements
Providing family education in addition to staff trainings

She is regularly the highest rated keynote speaker at national conferences—and is asked to return over and over again to the organizations she consults and trains for. Check out Heather’s Testimonials or Video Clips, and Contact her today to learn how she can help your group.

Heather’s Most Requested Topics

The ABC’s of Dementia
Many of the basic principles of dementia care are not yet common knowledge. From the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, to why they do what they do, many people have never heard plain explanations. This class offers what every person needs to know. The purpose of this program is to enhance our understanding of brain changes associated with normal aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of dementia and current treatments. Heather will focus on symptoms associated with different types of dementia, behaviors caused by these brain changes, and a positive way of communicating with people who have dementia. As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Discriminate among the terms: dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and forgetfulness
Describe symptoms that commonly occur with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia based on brain damage
Recognize behaviors that are indicative of changes in memory, language comprehension, language production, motor coordination, judgment and impulse control
Demonstrate 7 key components in a positive physical approach when working with a person with dementia.

Recognizing Changes in Dementia
Families and professionals are caring for a person with dementia for a decade or longer. Recognizing changes throughout this long disease can feel like detective work. Heather presents this class focused on the timeline of this disease. Participants will learn about the progression in 5 stages and strategies that work to support people at every stage. For example, when someone with dementia goes through inevitable changes, our instincts as caregivers might be to hold on and force that person to conform to the old way of doing things. The problem is, it doesn’t work. Instead, it leads to frustration and dead ends. Instead, just like the seasons of dementia change over time, so should our approach to relating to and caring for those individuals. Heather provides highly approachable tools for approaching dementia care at the various stages. As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Enhance caregiver’s understanding of dementia, it’s symptoms, and progression
Differentiate between 5 levels of ability and loss in people with dementia based on observable behaviors, language, and actions
Match effective combinations of helping techniques when presented with someone with dementia for each level of involvement
Introduce strategies to improve interactions and communication with people who have dementia
Expand skills in providing assistance to optimize caregiving
Develop and implement daily plans that promote routines and reductions in behavioral problems.

Communication When Words Don’t Work
The purpose of this learning activity is to introduce communication strategies to improve interactions with people who have dementia and to expand skills in providing assistance to optimize caregiving and reduce risks of pt and caregiver injury. As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Recognize when language comprehension and production are effected by dementia
Identify which types of language are spared and other language files that are lost
Use effective communication strategies when interaction with a person with dementia to promote function, have a conversation, and manage distress

Dealing with Distress: Using Empathy and Support
This session is focused on helping caregivers respond effectively to individuals who have dementia and are experiencing emotional distress and frustration. It will start with a review of changes in abilities and brain functions that contribute to the state of distress. We will then discuss more traditional techniques (reality orientation, ignoring, distracting, and lying) to cope with the person’s distress and the reasons they typically don’t work. Finally, we will explore strategies that are more effective, including the sequence, non-verbal and verbal approaches, and follow-up actions. As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Discuss key reasons why emotional distress is common among people living with dementia
Compare traditional caregiver responses to distressed individuals and new approach and interaction techniques
Describe the techniques of positive physical approach, empathy, supportive communication, validation, redirection, distraction, and meaningful activity
Demonstrate sequence of actions and words to effectively respond to a distressed individual, report the behavior to a treatment team, and make plans for new interventions in “problem cases.”

What’s Dementia and What’s NOT
The purpose of this learning activity is to compare dementia with other brain changes including other medical conditions and normal aging. Learners will identify risk factors for dementia. The second half of the activity will provide learners with the information and activities needed to maintain and maximize brain health. As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Describe the difference between dementia, depression, delirium, and normal forgetfulness
Identify current research and treatment for early stages of dementia
Identify three components of a brain health program
Identify top ten brain exercises and the need to share brain health info in the community

Reducing Falls in Dementia Caregiving: It’s All in Your Approach
The purpose of this learning activity is three fold: to enhance understanding of why falls happen in all stages of dementia; to introduce strategies to improve balance and movement in the middle stage of the disease; and to expand skills in providing assistance to reduce falls for people with dementia.
As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Identify the #1 mistake in dementia care that leads to increased falls
Compare and select the appropriate type and amount of assistance to offer someone with dementia to maximize function and reduce the risk of falls
Demonstrate the hand-under-hand technique to guide the person’s movement during ambulation, bathing, dressing, and toileting activities to reduce the risk of injury for patients and caregivers
Describe best functional documentation practices to ensure problem-solving and positive changes.

Dementia & Driving: Doing the Detective Work to Determine When to Take the Keys
Driving is one of the most difficult and important challenges along the dementia journey. This session will help learners find ways to maximize the person’s independence in early stages of dementia and recognize subtle, early changes that indicate driving is no longer safe. Rather than prescribing one way to make that difficult change in a family’s routine, Heather tells stories of many different successful approaches families have used to help every family/team choose the most person-centered approach to community mobility. As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Identify the 3 most common problems in level 4 dementia: The 3 Cs
Identify the subtle behavioral changes that indicate driving will be problematic
Recognize the importance of more than one strategy to deal with the issue of driving for an extended period of months-years
Select a family-centered approach to driving assessment and intervention.

Dementia Care for America’s Heroes: Becoming a Confident Caregiver for a Loved One with Dementia
Family caregivers learn from each other’s stories in this class. Using footage from the educational series Dementia Care for America’s Heroes, Heather shares real stories of family caregivers from the Long Island State Veterans’ Home. The purpose of this learning activity is twofold: to enhance caregiver’s understanding of dementia, its symptoms, and progression and to expand skills in providing assistance throughout the progression of the disease. As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Recognize common problems family caregivers face in early, middle and late stages of the disease
Identify community resources that could support a family caring for a person with dementia at home
Plan for future interventions as the disease progresses.

Building Hands-On Caregiving Skills for Middle Stages of the Disease
This session will help learners use effective strategies for helping people with dementia during personal care to reduce resistance to care—and develop better observational skills to recognize and intervene effectively when behavioral challenges occur. It will emphasize the value of matching helping behaviors to the person’s needs and retained abilities to promote a sense of control and self-direction. Grading and providing helping behaviors based on the person’s abilities and needs refines the caregiver’s skills and fosters positive interactions during care activities rather than struggles.
As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

Enhance caregiver’s understanding of dementia, its symptoms, and progression
Introduce strategies to improve interactions and communication with people who have dementia
Expand skills in providing assistance to optimize caregiving—and, to develop and implement daily plans that promote routines and reductions in behavioral problems.

From Science to Solutions: Understanding Dementia and Creating Positive Outcomes
This is a 6-hour training seminar designed for professionals and family caregivers. Dementia is a term most have heard; but understanding this challenging condition and assisting in bringing a thriving existence to those with dementia, their caregivers, and their family members often eludes those closest to it. In this session, Heather demystifies dementia by providing simple ways of thinking about and approaching it. This session is focused on helping caregivers respond effectively to individuals who have dementia throughout the progression of the disease. Please reach out to Heather personally for more information about this day-long seminar.

“Train the Trainer”
This series is all about empowering new trainers to spread what they’ve learned and optimize the culture of care in the organization. It is designed to help participants understand what is happening and how to support and care for the person who has the condition as it progresses—and continue to reduce negative outcomes for the person with dementia and their caregivers throughout the disease.
We will begin by exploring normal aging changes and comparing them to problematic changes in thinking abilities and memory. We will then discuss common symptoms and behaviors that occur because of the condition, focusing on not only what is lost, but what remains. We will then build skills and abilities to support and help both the person with the condition and the caregivers who are trying to cope with the difficult behaviors of the person they are supporting. Next, we will discuss the progression of the condition, the signs that things are getting worse and what comes next, from the first signs to the end of the journey. During the series, we will explore the current resources, teaching strategies, and competency measures that will help new trainers share what they have learned with others. Please reach out to Heather personally for more information about the train-the-trainer series.