Upholding Well-Being in Dementia: An Online Learning Collaborative

As an Eden Mentor and Educator, I supported several projects with The Eden Alternative® over the years before I joined the team officially in 2009. One of those projects involved the Eden Alternative Domains of Well-Being.

I was about 10 years into teaching and growing the Eden Approach® with teams before I heard about the seven Domains of Well-Being that The Eden Alternative had developed. It felt a bit confusing at first, ten principles and now seven domains. It took a little while to get it clear in my head; the Principles are the foundation upon which you build the Eden Approach and Well-Being is the ultimate outcome for everyone when you are successful.

I started working in long-term care just after OBRA ’87 was released. One phrase repeated often in the regulations is helping residents “attain or maintain physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being.” Well-being felt like some fluffy cloud. How can you possibly know that someone’s well-being is being attained, let alone maintained?

In the end, we were just saying the phrase “well-being” and continuing to do things the way we always did until the awareness came that The Eden Alternative Domains of Well-Being® were the answer.

Through lots of conversation and exploration, Eden advocates have found amazing ways to incorporate the Domains of Well-Being into their systems, processes, practices and roles. Dr. Al Power, an Eden Mentor and Educator, through his book Dementia Beyond Disease explains how individuals living with dementia, and their care partners, can have a strong identity, connectedness, security, autonomy, meaning, growth and joy.

Eden has a training based on Al’s ideas called Dementia Beyond Drugs (the title of his other book). Here is a quote from his book:

“… our tendency [is] to define quality of life in terms of presence or absence of medical illness, or as a measure of our functional or cognitive abilities (i.e., what we can or cannot do). By contrast, these seven domains can exist independent of those factors. This removes the stigma of seeing a person with dementia as incapable of achieving well-being and gives us a strong directive and fulfill these needs throughout everyone’s life. … Although the domains of well-being can be eroded by the disabilities of dementia, they can be supported and rejuvenated through the efforts of care partners.”

I am excited because The Eden Alternative and the Dementia Action Alliance have a budding partnership that is deepening our understanding of just how important the Domains of Well-Being are for individuals living with dementia. In fact, we have a collaborative learning experience coming starting on January 15, 2025 about this very topic. It is called Upholding Well-Being in Dementia.  

Upholding Well-Being in Dementia is a chance to explore the Eden Alternative Domains of Well-Being and what they mean for all of us, including those living with dementia. Participants will learn about the importance of well-being from individuals living with dementia. A process for incorporating the domains into daily planning and problem-solving will be shared.

Hopefully, you are now wondering how can you weave these seven Domains of Well-Being into the flow of daily life. This is what we will explore during the collaborative. Sign up today!

Participation in the collaborative is free for Eden Members and there is a registration cost for non-members.

About Denise Hyde

Denise Hyde has been involved with The Eden Alternative® since 1997 and part of the home office team since 2009. As Membership Engagement Guide, Denise guides and supports organizations with implementation, creates resources, develops educational tools and materials, and supports networking opportunities between individuals and organizations.

About The Eden Alternative

Our Mission: To improve the well-being of Elders and their care partners by transforming the communities in which they live and work. 

The Eden Alternative offers educational opportunities, consultation and a proven approach to honoring Elderhood, with resources for Elders and care partners to elevate well-being.