Books and training to help organizations, staff, and families deliver optimal dementia care.
The Approach
What makes this approach so unique and effective? Learn its key elements and why they work so well!
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The Training
Find training to suit your needs, from Best Friends™ basics to advanced knowledge and skills.
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The Books
See the many ways Best Friends™ has been used to transform care settings and improve the lives of residents and staff.
LEARN MORE ➞Inside the Best Friends Approach
The Best Friends™ approach is recognized as a best practice in Memory Care because of its positive outcomes. Caring for people with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia can be challenging, but using Best Friends makes the experience easier and more rewarding. Essential elements of this approach include knowing the history and preferences of each person, communicating skillfully, and providing a supportive environment and meaningful engagement. Anyone can learn how.
This person-centered philosophy is grounded in the understanding that relationships are supremely important in dementia care and should reflect the essential elements of friendship: respect, empathy, support, trust, humor. The concept of friendship is easy for staff to understand and apply.
At any stage of memory loss, receiving care from a “friend” makes a person feel safe, secure, and valued. It eases distress and disorientation and makes everything go smoother – from mealtimes to bedtime to social engagement and beyond.
Friendship is universal, and so is the Best Friends approach. Anyone who interacts with a person with dementia can learn the Best Friends way. From administrator to maintenance worker, from social worker to family member, and from nursing director to activity assistant – everyone can seize the moment to be a little less task oriented and a little more person centered when they know how to use the Best Friends approach.
This approach works in all settings where you find people living with dementia:
- Nursing home
- Assisted living
- Dedicated memory care
- Adult day program
- Home care
- Community education and services
- Emergency medical services
- Senior center
Adopting the Best Friends approach adds benefits and value to your care program:
- Staff satisfaction & retention—a caring culture is good for all
- Positive visibility—builds public confidence and trust
- Service excellence—produces better-quality programming
- Accountability—can be incorporated into quality improvement guidelines, fidelity of practice, and other evaluation metrics
- Risk management—helps minimize incidents and accidents
- Competitive differentiation—your program stands out from others
- Business improvement—more clients/occupancy, attractiveness to staff, improved outcomes
Training Options
Find the right training for your needs.
Introductory Trainings
If you are new to Best Friends, our introductory 2-hour live virtual class teaches the foundations of excellent dementia care using Best Friends essentials.
Learn the core elements of Best Friends - Training led by a Best Friends expert leader
- A great option for staff new to dementia care
Custom Trainings
Let expert Best Friends trainers help you meet your training needs with private or customized options for a Best Friends overview, refresher, or specific dementia care topic.
- Specialize a training or choose from a number of topics
- Can be virtual or in-person
- Can meet the specific needs of your organization
Master Training & Certification
Become a Best Friends leader or trainer for your community by taking your knowledge to a new level and earning the professional credential of Best Friends™ Certified Master Trainer (BF-CMT).
- CEUs available!
- Make your community a Best Friends Environment™
- Gain access to ongoing support with the Best Friends Portal
Best Friends Staff, Second Edition
$49.99
Best Friends Approach to Dementia Care, Second Edition
$41.99
Best Friends™ Daily Planner
$29.95
Los Mejores Amigos en el Cuidado de Alzheimer
$36.99
Best Friends Book of Alzheimer’s Activities, Volume Two
$44.99
Best Friends Book of Alzheimer’s Activities, Volume One
$44.99
Dignified Life, Revised and Expanded
$16.95
Incorporating Montessori Principles into All Areas: Personal Care (Bathing)
Inside The Best Friends Staff, Second Edition
How Can The Best Friends Staff Work for Me?
Intergenerational Activities: Using the Best Friends Approach with Children
Leading Change in Memory Care: Commitment to Ongoing Education
Behind Locked Doors: Segregation in Memory Care
Montessori and Meaningful Engagement: Reclaiming Previous Roles
Intergenerational Programming: Getting Started
5 Inspiring Stories of Meaningful Person-Centered Memory Care
The 5 Main Flaws of Nonpharmacological Interventions (and How to Address Them Without Medication)
Can We Achieve Drug-Free Dementia Care?
Biomedical vs. Experiential Model in Dementia Care (Infographic)
The Dementia Bill of Rights
The universal touchstone for dementia care reflects the underlying core principles of the Best Friend™ philosophy, stressing compassion, empathy, and respect in the face of a devastating disease. These 12 basic human rights outline the dignity that every person diagnosed with dementia deserves.
About HPP
Health Professions Press, an imprint of Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. (Baltimore, MD) is a publisher of high-quality educational resources in aging and elder care to improve the lives of residents, staff, and families. HPP offers books, programs, toolkits, and trainings in dementia care, long-term care, senior living, aging, leadership, resident safety, therapy services and more. Visit www.healthpropress.com or follow @healthpropress on social media to learn more.
