09/28/2025
Why hire a PAC certified trainer and consultant like me? The Positive Approach to Care (PAC) is valuable in trauma-informed care by shifting the focus from the individual’s deficit to their strengths, fostering a person-centered culture that emphasizes dignity, respect, and empathy through techniques like the Positive Physical Approach and Hand-under-Hand guidance. By focusing on relationships, offering compassionate support, and adapting communication, PAC empowers care partners to understand and respond to the needs of individuals with dementia, thereby building a more positive and supportive care environment that aligns with the core principles of trauma-informed care. How PAC Enhances Trauma-Informed Care
* Promoting Safety and Trust:Techniques like the Positive Physical Approach, which involves stopping a few feet away, turning the body to signal support, and offering a hand, help establish trust and an environment where the individual feels safe and in control.
* Enhancing Communication: PAC provides practical skills such as using nonverbal cues, adjusting tone of voice, adapting language, and hand-under-hand guidance to communicate effectively and build meaningful connections with individuals who may have communication challenges.
* Building Relationships: The core of PAC emphasizes putting relationships first, helping caregivers understand how and why an individual’s emotions and reactions are changing, leading to deeper, more supportive interactions.
* Empowering Caregivers: PAC offers training and resources to equip care partners with the knowledge and skills to provide compassionate care, reduce stress, and enhance their well-being.
* Preserving Dignity: A central tenet of PAC is that “Dementia doesn’t rob someone of their dignity. It is our reaction to them that does”. This aligns perfectly with trauma-informed care’s goal of preventing re-traumatization and preserving the individual’s inherent worth.
