Sep/101
Stages of Senile Dementia
The rate of senile dementia has continued to grow over the past decade. Research has shown the rate of Alzheimer’s disease related deaths grew between 2000 and 2006 by nearly 50% (i). As the baby boomer generation of the 1960s continues to age into their 60s and 70s, this rate is only expected to climb.
In addition, recent trends indicate that individuals are working longer into their Golden years, choosing to retire later rather than sooner (ii). This highlights the importance for business professionals to learn and recognize the stages of dementia as it is likely to become more common among employees.
Stages of Senile Dementia
The following are considered to outline the seven stages of dementia, as provided by Omni Medical Search (iii):
Stage I: No impairment of normal function
Stage II: Very mild cognitive decline
Stage III: Mild cognitive decline
Stage IV: Moderate cognigitive decline
Stage V: Moderately severe cognitive decline
Stage VI: Severe cognitive decline
Stage VII: Very severe cognitive decline
The first two stages of decline are subtle and not likely discernable as dementia. By Stage III, however, the individual has trouble remember words, names, and may misplace things regularly. Stage III impairments are the first to be noticed in a work environment as decline in cognitive ability will be congruent with decline in working ability.
After Stage III, cognitive ability begins to erode rapidly. The individual will gradually lose their ability to remember incidents, perform arithmetic, organize complex tasks, and maintain mental clarity.
Program Development Associates has been providing business professionals with tools to identify Alzheimer’s disease and provide support for individuals suffering with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Project: The Memory Loss Tapes DVD observes seven different people, each at different stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Through observation, viewers learn firsthand how each of the stages of dementia affects individuals, providing a basis for awareness. Program Development Associates provides a range of other caregiver resources ideal for professionals who aspire to learn caregiver techniques, spread awareness, and provide support for individuals suffering with mental illness.
(i) http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_figures.asp
(ii) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,281153,00.html
(iii) http://www.omnimedicalsearch.com/conditions-diseases/dementia-stages.html
Sep/100
Frontotemporal Dementia Identification and Care
As the baby boomer generation of the 1960s continues to age, physicians predict that the rate of Alzheimer’s disease among adults will likewise continue to climb. Currently, just over 5 million people have Alzheimer’s disease and require over 170 billion dollars in healthcare (i). In the years between 2000 and 2006, Alzheimer’s associated deaths climbed by 46.1 percent, illustrating the growing need for disease awareness and research. Of particular concern is the occurrence of Frontotemporal dementia in middle-aged adults.
Frontotemporal dementia is an umbrella term used to define several disorders, each of which affects two primary areas of the brain: the frontal and temporal lobes. These areas, associated with personality, behavior, and language, begin to shrink at the onset of this disorder, causing individuals to undergo severe changes in personality (iii).
Frontotemporal Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s Disease
Frontotemporal dementia is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease because often the symptoms are similar. One dissimilarity, however, is that Frontotemporal dementia occurs in middle-aged adults as young as 40 years old. Alzheimer’s disease is more common among older individuals over the age of 60 years old. In this light, Frontotemporal dementia can be considered a type of early onset dementia.
Counselor and Caregiver Resources
Though Frontotemporal dementia is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease, similar resources prove instrumental in helping family members and caregivers provide care for loved ones. An example of such resources includes the Alzheimer’s Project: Caregivers DVD. Issues like denial, guilt, frustration, and sorrow are addressed as caregivers learn to support, consol, and cherish those with the disorder.
Program Development Associates provides many other caregiver resources to help those who provide care for physically or mentally impaired individuals. For over 25 years Program Development Associates has been providing resources to professional caregivers, personal assistants, and college educators to further disability and diversity awareness.
(i) http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_figures.asp
(ii) see (i) above.
(iii) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/frontotemporal-dementia/DS00874
Sep/100
Building Organizational Infrastructure with Disability Videos
Disability videos are an indispensable tool for any business. Workplace diversity is gaining momentum. The Unnecessary Boundaries study, conducted by Telework Exchange, offers clear evidence that employers are committed to furthering disability employment and equal opportunity for qualified job applicants. However, the study also illustrates that although employers are open to hiring qualified personnel regardless of background, ethnicity, and disability, they at the same time fall short of retaining the range of talent they recruit (i).
A Lack of Infrastructure
The conundrum uncovered by Telework’s Unnecessary Boundaries study is nevertheless hopeful. The study asserts that employers are open to disability employment. Despite the increasing rate of unemployment among persons with disabilities, 71 percent of individuals surveyed reported that their respective organizations makes genuine efforts to recruit and hire prospects from richly varied backgrounds, including those with disabilities (ii). Given this insight, the problem can be reduced to a lack of proper infrastructure to aid in training, assessing, and advancing new hires with disabilities.
Disability Videos: Infrastructure for Organizational Growth
Program Development Associates recognizes the need for organizational infrastructure that supports the vocational development of a range of individuals. Diversity in the workplace cannot flourish without internal supports that facilitate growth for many individuals of varied backgrounds. Without tools for disability assessment and evaluation, individuals with a disability cannot be expected to communicate, learn, and develop within an organization. Unfortunately, this often leads to high turnover among those with disabilities, contributing to the recently increasing level of unemployment among persons with disabilities.
The hardest battle has been won. The Americans with Disabilities Act celebrated twenty strong years of disability awareness and advocacy this past July. Disability employment has grown. Organizations must now utilize tools for disability assessment and training to retain persons with disabilities. Moving forward, disability videos, CD-ROMs, and assistive technology are all necessities in maintaining a diverse workplace. Disability advocates agree: Disability unemployment will fall as organizations build the proper infrastructure to leverage the power of diversity.
(i) http://www.teleworkexchange.com/unnecessarybarriers/landing.asp
(ii) see above.
Sep/100
Disability Assessment and Evaluation
In recent years, businesses have focused on seeking out prospects from unique backgrounds to make their organization rich in culture, talent, and other dimensions. These organizations make proactive efforts to reach out to minorities and persons with disabilities to ensure equal opportunity is presented to qualified prospects. However, attention is all too often focused on the prospecting and interviewing processes, leaving a critical piece of the disability employment puzzle overlooked: maintaining and developing employees into valuable company assets.
Diversity in the Workplace
Diversification alone is unsuccessful in maintaining diversity in the workplace. The increasing rate of unemployment among persons with disabilities illustrates this concept, despite the push for equal employment by major pieces of legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act (i). The Presidential Executive Orders that followed the ADA pushed a similar agenda for equal opportunity, likewise coming up short. According to recent studies, a number of Federal employees say that while their respective organizations have the framework in place to recruit a diverse group of employees, management is incapable of helping a diverse group develop into professionals (ii). Diversification is only the first step in building a diverse workplace. Steps to train, assess, and advance employees must be taken as well.
Disability Training and Assessment
A diverse workplace is composed of individuals with backgrounds and abilities that may differ greatly. These differences are particularly pronounced when the workplace includes persons with disabilities. Differences in individual ability require different approaches to community inclusion, ranging from specific assistive technology requirements to the need for unique communication methods. Disability assessment tools are crucial in training and retaining persons with disabilities, as they expose areas where an individual may need additional training and support.
Disability assessment and evaluation, along with Disability assessment tools, are all critical components that inclusive workplaces must use in building a work environment that will expand upon internal human resources. Properly developing human capital is essential in increasing company productivity, revenue, and longevity. Program Development Associates offers a host of additional disability and diversity resources to help organizations recruit, train, assess, and develop persons with disabilities into business professionals.
(i) http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/stats.htm
(ii) http://www.teleworkexchange.com/unnecessarybarriers/landing.asp
Sep/100
American Sign Language for Today’s Business Professional
The population of hearing impaired Americans is growing faster than the American population as a whole. Since 2005, the population of the United States has grown by a little over 4 percent. Contrast that with the growth in deafness among Americans: 9 percent. Currently, there are about 35 million Americans with a hearing impairment, and about 25 million do not have a hearing aid or an assistive device of some kind (i). For disability employers, American Sign Language education is an advantageous addition to employee training programs. Training programs that include sign language courses will benefit organizations in at least two ways: internally, in terms of communication among a diverse group of employees, and externally, in terms of accommodating the special needs of a growing population of Americans.
Internal Communication Skills: Employees and Sign Language
In recent months, our Disability Training Blog has focused on the importance of employing a diverse range of individuals. The number of Americans with a hearing impairment is estimated to climb to 40 million by 2025 (ii). Using this data, we can safely predict that an increasing percentage of job applicants are expected to have a hearing impairment of some kind through the coming decades. Organizations are smart to consider this in building their channels for recruiting and training new employees. Expanding employee skill sets to include knowledge of sign language will make an organization’s long-term recruiting methods easier and more successful in achieving diversity.
Sign Language and Public Relations
A second way in which organizations stand to benefit from incorporating sign language courses in employee training programs is in the realm of public relations. The number of Deaf Americans is climbing, evidencing an emerging market with special needs. These needs are both tangible and intangible, ranging from assistive communication devices to social constructs that enable effective communication. Organizations vary in function and cannot all be expected to produce goods for the growing population of hearing impaired individuals. However, businesses of all industries can facilitate communication with Deaf people simply by training their employees to do so. This represents a significant competitive advantage that cannot be overlooked.
Program Development Associates has a range of products to assist business professionals, elementary school teachers, parents, and university professors in learn and teaching American Sign Language. Additionally, PDA has a number of disability training resources to complement the diversification initiatives of most businesses, schools, and universities.
(i) http://www.hear-it.org/page.dsp?area=858
(ii) see above.
