DIR® Home Program

For Older Adults

A virtual coaching program to guide caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer's or other neurodegenerative diseases in implementing DIRFloortime® at home.

What is The dir® Home Program for Older Adults?

The DIR® (pronounced with each letter as D-I-R) Home Program for Older Adults is a caregiver coaching program focused on empowering caregivers, nurturing connections, and promoting meaningful functional emotional engagement. A DIR Home Program is a comprehensive approach that is implemented by the caregivers and natural supports of the loved one. Caregivers know their love ones better than anyone else and these secured attached relationships are instrumental in helping older adults function at their highest potential. Coaching is provided by DIR® Experts virtually through the Zoom platform.

The Harvard Adult Development Study: Research showing the power of relationships in adult development

The 12 Elements of Focus in a DIR® Home Program

Through the caregiver coaching process, the Expert DIR® Coaches help caregivers examine many areas of their loved one's life to develop a comprehensive DIR® Home Program that focuses on all aspects of an older adult's life at home. The following elements are just some of the common areas that parents focus on when creating their own DIR® Home Program to help their loved ones function at their highest potential.

    1. Floortime

    2. Caregiver Coaching

    3. DIR Education Modules

    4. Family Support

    5. Structured and Semi-Structured Activities

    6. Play

    7. Diet

    8. Sleep

    9. Movement

    10. Sibling and Peer Interactions

    11. Occupational activities

    12. Community

How to Create a DIR® Home Program

It is actually fairly easy to set up and very cost-effective. Through a caregiver coaching process and many learning modules on topics important to helping you and your loved one, DIR® Institute experts can help you develop your customized home program. We can also help you coordinate with your local healthcare providers to ensure you are maximizing your available resources, services, and supports. It will take some work, but it will also be fun! You and your loved one will most likely discover those opportunists for joy and engagement that you have felt you have been losing. If you are interested in exploring this option more, please email us at institute@icdl.com to set up a free consultation (space is limited).

Integrating the D, I, and R of DIR

A comprehensive home program integrates the D, the I, and the R. This is the foundation of DIR. Bringing together these 3 key components in an integrated way that supports and maintains the capacity to self-regulate, attend, engage, communicate, learn, and think/reason.

The "D"

The "D" in DIR stands for "Developmental". Understanding the "D" helps us understand where each individual person is at developmentally and where we need to focus our attention.

The "I"

The "I" in DIR stands for "Individual -differences". This includes the unique ways each of us perceive and interact with the world. Understanding your loved one's individual differences can give you the information you need to tailor your program to meet their unique strengths and support their particular challenges. Individual differences can include differences in sensory processing, emotional regulation, motor planning, auditory processing, visual perception, health and diet related issues, and any other way your loved one perceives and interacts with the world in their own unique way.

The "R"

The "R" of DIR stands for "Relationship-based". From the day we are born, we are all dependent on relationships with others. Relationships are incredibly powerful in forming and maintaining human development, especially the secured attached relationships we have with our loved ones. Our goal is to empower these relationships to strategically fuel your loved one's development.

Price

The DIR Home Program is a 12-week program payable with three monthly payments of $375 each.

This includes weekly live virtual Floortime coaching sessions with a Floortime expert.

ICDL is a not-for-profit and all of our services are offered at the lowest possible prices we can manage. If you are interested in any services and the prices we discuss with you are not feasible for you, please let us know. While we have to keep our organization financially viable, we are driven by our mission, not by making profits. We will work with any family in need to make our services as accessible as possible.