Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Welcome

Introductions

Group Agreement

What will be achieved from this session?

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Main Talking Points Behaviours that challenge us:

responding to emotional distress; expressions of anger & excessive walking

Person centred approaches Supporting the person with dementia

Myth: ‘dementia means you will become incapable of living life with any meaning’

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Effect on feelings & emotions Reminder of the information from ‘describing

dementia’ presentation For some people having a range of difficulties in

memory and thinking can result in a person feeling:

….Frustrated….Angry….Upset

….Distressed….Alone

….Frightened

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Behaviours that challenge us(responding to emotional distress; expressions of anger & excessive walking) Hitting out in an angry way Walking around all the time Difficulty in self monitoring behaviour with others Not co-operating when being helped with caring

tasks Constantly repeating the same thing Shouting out loudly Putting things in places where they cannot be

foundSouth West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

How to help Look at what else is

happening when a person is behaving in a certain way

Look for the emotion that the person may be feeling

Focus on the person rather than the illness

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Person with

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

with dementia

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

People as Individuals

Each person with dementia will change and react to their difficulties in a different way

It is very helpful to know about a person. This will help to think about what the person could be experiencing. SO……………….

Finding out all about a person’s life is very important.

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Individual Person

Physical & Psychological

Needs

Spiritual Beliefs

CultureLikes & Dislikes

Family & Friends

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Supporting the person with dementia

 Try to……

Involve the person, wherever possible in making decisions about everyday matters

Make time to listen to the person Show kindness and be reassuring Respect the person at all times

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Try not to.........

Appear cross with the person

Argue with the person

Ignore the person

Supporting the person with dementia:

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

When a person is distressedAlways:

Stay calm: Try to show you are relaxed.

If speech is hard to understand, think about what the person might be trying to say.

Pick up clues from a person’s body language about how they are feeling.

Allow the person to express sad / angry emotions.South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Non-verbal communication Move to the person’s level Gain eye contact where

possible Use gestures, objects or

signals as well as words e.g. show the person an object that relates to what you are saying

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Verbal communication

Speak in a calm way; notice the tone of your voice.

Give the person time to respond. Use short sentences giving a small amount of

information. Don’t argue about facts

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Remember…….

You are very important to the person with dementia

You make a big difference to how the person copes with dementia

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches

Main Talking Points re-visited:Any questions? Behaviours that challenge us

(responding to emotional distress; expressions of anger & excessive walking)

Person centred approaches Supporting the person with dementia

Myth: ‘dementia means you will become incapable of living life with any meaning’

South West Dementia Partnership Essential dementia awareness: person centred approaches