Dementia Awareness An introduction to supporting people with dementia.
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Transcript of Dementia Awareness An introduction to supporting people with dementia.
Dementia Awareness
An introduction to supporting people with dementia
Aim:
To provide you with a basic understanding of dementia and introduce approaches that will help you be supportive to people with dementia
Learning Objectives
• Increased understanding of the experience of dementia
• Increased understanding of communication and behaviour relating to dementia
• Increased understanding of the potential effects of the environment on a person with dementia
• Increased understanding and confidence in using enabling and person-centred approaches
Dementia Care in Scotland
• Dementia Strategy
• Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland
• Promoting Excellence Framework
Understanding the experience of dementia
• PERSON• DEMENTIA• ENVIRONMENT
What is dementia?
• Dementia is a broad term indicating loss of intellectual functions (such as thinking, remembering, reasoning) of sufficient severity to interfere with a person’s ability to carry out day to day activities and often affecting social behaviour
Understanding dementia
• Dementia is not a disease itself but a collection of features or symptoms accompanying certain conditions
• What all these conditions have in common is that they damage and kill brain cells, so that the brain cannot work as well as it should
Who is affected?
• Dementia affects both men and women and exists worldwide
• It is most common in older people but can affect people in their 40s or 50s or even younger
• Research shows that many factors affect the risk of developing dementia
Types of dementia
Many different conditions bring about the features of dementia, the most common are:• Alzheimer’s disease• Vascular dementia• Dementia with Lewy bodies
It is also possible to have more than one type of dementia; for example Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia
What happens?
• In most types of dementia, the illness is progressive and therefore the person will experience many different difficulties over time
• There is no cure at this point in time although some medications are available that help some people with some types of dementia for a period of time
Disabilities in dementiaThis person may experiencedifficulties with…
• Communication• A sense of time and place• Finding his way around • Coping with unfamiliar places, people
or activities• Social/spatial/visual awareness• Memory
Possible difficulties…
• Planning and calculating • Reasoning and judgment • Controlling emotional responses• Recognising people and objects• Coping with everyday activities - including his
personal care• Learning, concentration and motivation
Important points…
• Every person with dementia is different and may experience dementia differently
• Not everyone will have same symptoms and they do not necessarily appear in any particular order
• Good days and bad days – tiredness, depression, emotional state and other health problems will have impact on coping with dementia
• Can even depend on time of day
DVD
• Through our eyes • A life with dementia
EXPERIENCE OFDEMENTIA
ENVIRONMENT
THE KIND OF PERSON YOU
ARE
PERSONAL LIFEEXPERIENCES AND WAYS OF
COPING
PHYSICALHEALTH/
PSYCHOLOGY
CHANGES TO THE BRAIN
AND FUNCTION
Dementia circle of support and resources
Our home
Family & Friends
Our hobbies
Care Team
Normal communication:a complex process
• Speech• Hearing• Touch• Sight• Understanding• Expressing
• Words 7%• Tone of voice 38%• Facial expression 55%
Communication difficulties for people with dementia
• Understanding what is being said
• Finding appropriate words • Repeats things • Asks the same question
again & again • Says things which aren’t real or
true• Slowness at responding• Mispronounces words
• Naming objects and people • Difficulty writing• Difficulty following television &
reading• Conversation wanders• Insensitive to other peoples’
conversation needs• Unable to explain things
Ashdeane House
How can I help?
• Use name at beginning• Check aids• Minimise distractions• Consider who is the best person to impart information• Avoid the use or overuse of questions• Consider echoing
How can I help?
• Take time – give time• Be calm and patient• Speak slowly and clearly in a respectful, adult manner• Face the person and maintain good eye contact• Give the person your full attention and address him/her – not
accompanying helper• Look interested in what is being said even if it is difficult to
understand
How can I help?
• Ensure the person is able to hear and see you clearly• Be aware of the tone of your voice• Focus on the person’s emotions and feelings• Make suggestions if the person seems to be struggling to find
words• Be aware of the individual’s facial expressions, body posture
or mannerisms – what are they telling you?
How can I help?
• Be aware of your own facial expressions and body language• Provide clues and visual/verbal prompts to assist
understanding• Try providing information in a variety of formats • Be prepared to repeat information and instructions calmly• Try a range of approaches to ensure information is
understood
Making connections
• Music• Singing • Touch• Smell
Everyone is Different!
• Person • Dementia• Environment
Challenging behaviour often relates to a failure in normal communication
•Communication and Dementia
Ashdeane House 26
Behaviour in Dementia
• Aggression/irritability• Uncooperativeness• Apathy• Shouting/swearing• Repetition/questioning• Catastrophic reaction• Separation anxiety
• ‘Wandering’• Hallucinations• Delusions• Disinhibition• Sundowning• Continence problems • Accusations
What can cause challenging behaviour?
Challenging Behaviour Boredom
Over Stimulation
SeparationAnxiety
Loneliness
Reality confrontation
Feelings of incompetence
Stress
Fear or alarm
Disorientation
Misunderstanding events
Disinhibition
Pain or
discomfort
Memory Loss
Loss of goal
recognition
Communication Difficulties
A,B,C Approach to understanding behaviour we find challenging
Activation – what was happening immediately prior to the behaviour? Who was there? Where were they?
Behaviour – what was the behaviour you actually observed? Be clear, specific and descriptive.
Consequence – What happened after the behaviour? Who was involved? How was it resolved
29
Things to avoid
• Using tricks lies or deception
• Disempowering• Talking as you might to
a child• Labelling• Outpacing
• Rejecting the person • Dismissing feelings• Emphasising
disabilities• Ignoring the person
The environment can help or hinder a person with
dementia
Once you understand some basic rules, you can help
improve communication, behaviour and understanding
Environmental challenges
Issues to consider
Help people with dementia to make sense of their surroundings
• Colour and design
• Lighting
• Noise
• Mirrors & Reflections
‘See Me’ - Who has dementia?
©Alzheimer Scotland
Aids and resources
www.alzscot.org