Connecting Through BrainWave - Nicole Haney | BrainWave

Kevin Hansen sits down with home care expert and author Nicole Haney to unpack Brainwave—a new program designed to redesign dementia care across home care, home health, adult day, and assisted living settings. Drawing on Nicole’s years of hands-on experience and Kevin’s personal journey with his mom’s Lewy body dementia, this conversation dives into what truly person-centered dementia support looks like when behavior is treated as communication, not “non‑compliance.” You’ll hear how Brainwave: Fills the “missing middle” between traditional dementia trainings and real‑world environments like adult day, assisted living, and in‑home care. Helps teams read behavior as unmet needs, scan the environment, and reduce triggers before they happen. Uses the PIN assessment to start with who the person was before the diagnosis, instead of just their medications and chart. Builds a true care team between families and professionals so everyone shares responsibility and perspective, instead of working in silos. Nicole shares powerful stories, including: A daughter who finally understood how frightening showering can feel for a person with dementia—and completely changed how she approached her mom’s care. A resident incorrectly put on hospice whose “decline” turned out to be over‑medication, and how adjusting his plan gave him back mobility, conversation, and quality of life. How Tusten House and Brainwave use familiar food, open environments, muscle memory activities, and individualized routines to reduce aggression, elopement, and sundowning. If you lead or work in: Home care or home health Residential assisted living or memory care Adult day or senior day programs …this episode will help you: Communicate the human side of dementia care in your branding and marketing, not just a list of tasks. Differentiate your agency with stories, outcomes, and dignity-centered practices that families actually feel. Give exhausted family caregivers a clearer path, more realistic expectations, and a team around them instead of feeling alone in the crisis. Brainwave is now moving into beta with home care agencies, assisted living communities, and adult day programs that want deeper, environment-aware dementia training and a stronger connection with families. To learn more about Brainwave or explore becoming a beta site, contact Nicole: Email: [email protected] Social: Haney Enterprises and Nicole Haney on social media. If this episode sparks ideas for your dementia program or your brand, hit like, subscribe to Create to Connect, and share your own story or question in the comments—we’d love to hear how you’re working to bring more dignity and humanity into dementia care.