CATE: Creating A Thriving Environment

April 5, 2017Becky MoultrieBlog Posts, Home Care in St. Petersburg FL

David and Goliath, the story of a shepherd facing a giant. Others had tried to fight the giant, but none had succeeded. In steps David, who tries to wear the traditional armor, but he could not carry it. We too have found that in the face of dementia, the traditional methods do not work.

At Assisting Hands, we use CATE™ Training. This program is designed to equip our caregivers with new strategies to deal with Alzheimer’s and related dementia. Like David, we use five strategies, five stones. And like David, we only need to use one strategy to effectively work with a client. Of the five stones, David only used one to slay Goliath. But he had all five at the ready and so do our CATE Trained Aids.

In March, Assisting Hands Serving Pinellas County had nine more caregivers complete the CATE™ training program. Each was taught the five strategies to use when working with dementia clients. She’s practiced with Dr Cate McCarty, with her classmates, will take her strategies home to use with family and of course, will use them with her clients. The strategies will work for many circumstances, and through them, she’ll help her clients to Thrive.

CATE™ Training was created by Dr. Cate McCarty. Cate began her career as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home in her home state of Maryland in the late 70’s. Over the years she began to work as a companion for a home health company then found a niche in activities in a skilled nursing facility. Trained as a certified activities director, Cate continued to learn how best to engage individuals of all diagnoses, with most having dementia as part of their diagnosis. It was programming in a memory care community that refined her focus to individuals with dementia. Through years of career training, hands-on work, family caregiving and academic degrees, Dr. Cate, Dementia Coach offers the scope and breadth of experience and research to best assist families and their caregivers to thrive, particularly with a dementia diagnosis.