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20 Search Results:

A. Choices > Safety,not overprotective • Being able to choose within boundaries of safety and routine suitable to resident.

C. Love and Trust > 1. Sample narratives • Being able to choose within boundaries of safety and routine suitable to resident. Love and care showing through in your individual care, body language. Staff levels with time to give to the resident when you see, love and care. What makes it worse: let me do it - within the safe environment. Regimented Unit, time to do, eat, shower, sleep. Talking about or around the person. Staff levels not adequate to cope with situations that arise when you see love and care. NEW ZEALAND CAREGIVER

J. Basic Comforts > For specific complaints • Consider the loss of independence when you can't drive and are dependent on others when you want to go places or do things. A6 Getting lost which means you have to have someone with you when you leave home even in familiar places. A6. Needing supervision with familiar tasks such as cooking, gardening, housework, shopping.

I. Stimulation > Moderation • Constancy, routine = meals, activities, bed time etc. People around - family and helpers. Quiet - 'Let me doze or sleep."

D. Identity/Continuity > 1. Sample narratives • For others to have an understanding of what is being experienced by the person with dementia. That behaviour is not seen as being 'naughty', it is identified for what the person is feeling at the time. Unconditional respect. Not to be kept in own home longer than should just because social agenda is that life in your own home is preferable. Not being forced to participate when prior to dementia onset person did not enjoy participation. Creation of activities for activity sake so person with dementia is being 'entertained' is restricted. Approach to life kept 'as normal' as possible - maintenance of routine for that person. NEW ZEALAND PROFESSIONAL

B. Relations/Communication > 1. Sample narratives • Have places to meet which stimulate memories and sense of identity – familiar objects and music and images around. Concentrate more than normally on non-verbal activities and inter-actions. Share your own feelings, memories, experience and don’t worry if person with dementia is just listening for a while. But leave gaps for them to come in. Use simple structures in verbal communication which don’t exclude person with dementia. Empathise by imagining or even playing out what it might be like to have fewer words available and to be worried about making mistakes. Allow coping strategies, even if they are transparent – accept them as desire to still be part of things. Don’t marginalise or talk across!

G. Creativity/Aesthetics > 2. Any other • Have places to meet which stimulate memories and sense of identity – familiar objects and music and images around.

I. Stimulation > 2. Any other • Having familiar routines daily.

D. Identity/Continuity > 1. Sample narratives • Helping quality of life Importance of familiar environment. Reminiscence – life story to reinforce sense of identity. Praise And Tom Kitwood’s ideas which recognise the personship of the person with dementia, not treating persons as objects, ie feeding, washing, dressing, etc. IRELAND CARER

C. Love and Trust > 1. Sample narratives • I am not really familiar with Alzheimer’s but since a few months I’ve seen in a family what love does to a patient. The care and love is overwhelming and really does a lot. It also means a lot to the care giving family. As a doctor I recognise the importance of love through care. PROFESSIONAL Netherlands.

C. Love and Trust > Trusting relationships • Importance of familiar environment.

A. Choices > 1. Sample narratives • In a residential setting. Positive. Being able to voice/vent their feelings (as you and I can do), and not being made to feel that their reactions are on 'annoying' side effect of having dementia. Carrying on with activities that you enjoyed at home. Being 'flexible' in all aspects of a dementia patients life. There is no room for regimented routines. Follow only the routine the dementia patient finds comforting. Regular family visits. Regular outings. Stimulating visual/hands-on products. (Boredom is cruel). Negative 'Taking over' (by caregiver) be it choices/ending sentences/making all of your decisions for you when you still have the capacity to do it yourself. Not being listened to or taken seriously, because you are perceived to be 'non-compus- mentis'. Being forced into activities you have no interest in. Being 'told off like a naughty child by an uneducated carer. Being over-medicated and reduced to a 'zombie' like state. NEW ZEALAND PERSON WITH DEMENTIA

E. Self Esteem > 1. Sample narratives • My son was 16 when he volunteered to work in an ALD day care center in order to fulfill a high school requirement for community service. He had never been around anyone with dementia and had no idea what to expect and what his responsibilities would include. When he started work he was shown around the large room where the clients spent their day and where the bathrooms were located. He was told that one of his activities was to keep an eye on the male clients when they went to the bathroom so that if they had any difficulty, he might be able to assist them. About 4 days later he came home and told me that he was enjoying the experience and becoming more familiar with the routine but that he had had an experience that day that really made him know why his job was important. He had seen a man go into the bathroom and stay there for an unusually long period of time. He went to the bathroom door and knocked and heard sound of crying on the other side. He opened the door a crack and saw the man with his pants opened and turning from the sink to the toilet to the wastepaper basket in desperate frustration and tears. My son then pointed to the toilet and said, “I’m sorry to interrupt. I can see that you are going to use the toilet here. I’ll be outside the door if you need me.” He then closed the door and soon after the client came out looking relaxed and calmed. “I realized that what my job was really about was helping this man to save face”, he explained to me. USA Caregiver

A. Choices > Individual care plans • Not being forced to participate when prior to dementia onset person did not enjoy participation. Creation of activities for activity sake so person with dementia is being 'entertained' is restricted. Approach to life kept 'as normal' as possible - maintenance of routine for that person.

D. Identity/Continuity > 1. Sample narratives • Positive Having education and knowledge of dementia. Investigation of the person's life story. Carers having understanding of the person's life story. The person with dementia having time to be understood. The person with dementia having time to understand. Having choice. Having familiar belonging around. Having opportunity to use personal skills. Having trust in caregiver. Having understanding from caregiver re need for own space eg quiet times. Having a sense of purpose. To receive and give love. Reading to the person who is bedbound. Music that the person enjoys. "Time out" for the carer and the person with dementia. Being given the opportunity to grieve. NEW ZEALAND CAREGIVER

A. Choices > 1. Sample narratives • Positive Routine. Same things happening at the same time everyday. Remaining in a familiar environment with familiar people. Risk taking. A carer who can allow autonomy by minimising the risk and maximising choice. Recognition by family that there are changes due to dementia. Negative Other people unable or unwilling to accept or not able to cope with redirecting. Rejection by community in particular a community of friends themselves ageing who feel that they are no longer able to cope with having a person with dementia in their midst. The community imposing options for care - respite in a rest home without discussion and day care that did not meet the needs of the person with dementia. When providing care such as respite it is sometimes difficult to tell whose needs are being met. The same could be said for the decision to place permanently in a rest home. NEW ZEALAND PROFESSIONAL

B. Relations/Communication > 1. Sample narratives • Positive Support/love/understanding/acceptance from family, friend. Understanding/acceptance from within wide community. Physical quality environment - financial security, comfortable surroundings, familiar surroundings, safe environment. Emotional/general - continued social interaction, included within family circle, remaining a contributory member of family and group of friends, being allowed to make/contribute to decision making. Ability to access information about disease. Availability of resources and information. Availability of services. Contact with others in a similar situation. Good overall health. Negative Emotional/General - attitudes of friends and family, lack of understanding, difficulty in being accepted as a 'worthwhile' member/person, choices/decisions made on your behalf, lack of public awareness. Physical - lack of funds, inability to perform tasks of daily living to usual standard, being in an environment you are unfamiliar with or don't want to be there. Lack of resources and information, lack of services, isolation, poor general health. NEW ZEALAND PROFESSIONAL

A. Choices > 1. Sample narratives • Positive Caring carer. Stay as long as possible in own home. Supportive family. Keep to routine (as it was) as much as possible. Allow the person to make decisions. Allow choice. Continue to be loved and cherished. Respect. To be themselves. Accept challenging behaviour. To allow independence for as long as able. To be an individual. To allow to express own feelings. To plan own path way. Listen to the music not the words. Allow risks. Support groups including PWD. Alzheimer's Society, community support workers. Conferences. Negative Over protection, taking away independence, overwatched, decisions made for me (pwd) eg food, time planning, what to wear, where to go. Treated like a child. Not treated like before. Having a stressful carer. Thinking about how the spouse of an older age is going to manage. Enjoying fun and laughter but not at time at the appropriate time and not being accepted for this. I've got a client who does this and family (not being accepted) are horrified. NEW ZEALAND PROFESSIONAL

I. Stimulation > Moderation • Routine. Same things happening at the same time everyday. Remaining in a familiar environment with familiar people.

D. Identity/Continuity > 1. Sample narratives • What decreases quality of life for people with dementia People who treat us as if we know nothing because we have a diagnosis of dementia Fear of rejection because of our diagnosis or things we do or say Our lack of self-esteem because of the areas of competence we have lost. Fear of being admitted to hospital because of the treatment we receive. Lack of respect for us as people The restrictions placed on where we can go because of our loss of tolerance e.g. to noise, crowds etc. Forgetting what has happened, feeling like we are left out of conversations because we can't remember what the conversation refers to Loss of ability to read because you can't remember what was on last page or paragraph Loss of independence when you can't drive and are dependent on others when you want to go places or do things Getting lost which means you have to have someone with you when you leave home even in familiar places. Needing supervision with familiar tasks such as cooking, gardening, housework, shopping ----------------------------------------- AUSTRALIA PERSON WITH DEMENTIA