As one of the community benefit core principles within our 2019 Implementation Strategy Plan, Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center (ASMMC) strives to build a seamless continuum of care by addressing the underlying causes of persistent health challenges in Sheboygan County. One area of focus is the increased awareness and management of chronic diseases such as dementia within our aging population.
Our hospital partners with the Dementia Crisis Care Task Force of Sheboygan County to raise awareness and teach the community how to de-escalate aggressive behaviors in persons with dementia and to help prevent dementia-related crisis incidents. Multidisciplinary education provides a better understanding of roles and responsibilities for all those in the chain of care while increased access to appropriate resources and specialized training in proper response techniques improves decision making for those managing persons with dementia who are experiencing a crisis. This results in less harm to the patients and often more positive experiences for the patients and their loved ones.
Over 1,500 local professionals, including emergency department team members, first responders, law enforcement agencies, facility caregivers, and family caregivers in Sheboygan County have been trained so far. Many of those trained have expressed how this specialized education and targeted training has become invaluable in their ability to better serve their patients experiencing symptoms of dementia.