Care Partner Mentoring
What is a Care Partner? Why not use caregiver?
A care partner is a family member, friend, professional, or volunteer that collaborates with a person to find peace and increase quality of life. I first read the term when reading Dementia beyond Drugs by Dr. Allen Power, MD (Health Professions Press 2010). This is not semantics to me. All too often, a well-meaning caregiver takes on a parental role because it is faster to do and decide everything.
To be a care partner means collaborating- listening and watching for clues and subtle communication, seeking feedback, and adapting, not controlling. This is very challenging for most people to do. A critic of this approach may argue that it takes more time to listen and allow for input or for them to do something for as a caregiver.
Many times, collaborating can actually identify issues that avoid troubling behaviors in the person with dementia - which ultimately can save time it takes to calm down the care recipient, document an incident, or provide more medical care.