Care Partner & Family Training
Care partner training is a powerful part of the therapeutic process for individuals with many different types of illnesses and injuries. While much training can be completed in conjunction with the patient, there are also situations where it is more appropriate and beneficial for the patient and care partner to receive education on their own. This could be due to different communication or cognitive needs (i.e. in the case of aphasia after stroke or dementia), or just different learning styles (i.e. one person is fast-paced and the other likes to move more slowly).
Apart from general education regarding the condition affecting your loved one, care partner training often includes the development of strategies to improve communication interactions, manage challenging behaviors, solve daily problems, and reduce the burden of care. While these services used to be private pay only, Medicare and some other insurance companies now cover services under the patient’s Medicare plan. This is excellent news for families, and especially beneficial for patients who may not be able to participate in therapy themselves.
In the future, NSS hopes to use these benefits to offer community-level care partner training and support groups.
Treatment approach
As with all services at NSS, care partner and family training involve an individualized, cooperative approach that centers the strengths, challenges, and needs of the people being served.
Understanding Care Partner & Family Training
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If you have questions about how to help your relative, how to communicate effectively with them, or how you can support their participation in daily activities (i.e. self-care tasks, hobbies and interests, household tasks), care partner training with a speech and language pathologist specializing in this area can help. If you’re still not sure, schedule a consultation call with NSS to find out.
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Before 2024, Medicare only allowed caregiver training when the patient was present, but now Medicare provides reimbursement to rehabilitation providers (i.e. SLP, OT, PT) and other health care professionals for 1:1 caregiver training without the patient present. You can read more about this here.
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Either! For those within 35 minutes of Easthampton, in-person services are generally preferable. Virtual care partner training is available to individuals across the state of Massachusetts.
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Yes! Even in the later stages of dementia, some strategies and adaptations can improve the quality of communication and daily life for both the person and the care partner. Since individuals in the later stages of progressive neurological illness may not be able to participate in therapy, care partner training is an excellent option for these folks.
The benefits of care partner training
Care partner training can lead to decreased burden of care, decreased stress for both the patient and the caregiver, increased quality of communication and interactions with your loved one, and a greater sense of empowerment that you know how to best support them (and yourself) through this challenging process.
Care partner resources
Alz.org Care Partner Resources
Explore ResourcesAmerican Stroke Association: Caregiver Resource
Explore ResourceSupporting Someone Living with Dementia / MCI
Read Article Take the next step.
Both in-person and virtual therapy are available. In-person sessions typically happen in your home, saving you the time and cost of travel. Book your free 15-minute consultation today.