This section covers:
4.1 What are activities in
effective care?
4.2 Tailoring everyday activities
4.3 Assisting a person to engage
4. Meaningful engagement
2
Learning outcomes
At the end of this session you will be able to:• define the concept of activity and its purpose• work with families to discover meaningful activities for people with dementia• identify appropriate activities that meet a person’s needs and abilities• recognise the difference between structured and unstructured activities• set up the environment to encourage safe participation in
activities• break down activities into single steps or tasks.
3
4.1 What are activities in effective care?
• They are not always recreational
or diversional
• They should be part of a normal day
•They should hold meaning & purpose
for the unique person
• They should be pleasurable & aim
• to engage the person with life
4
‘Activity’ covers a vast number of daily activities
• Domestic activity
• Self care
• Work
• Leisure5
Why is engaging in meaningful activities important? • Feel useful
• Maintain:
– skills
– health
– independence
– self-esteem
• Experience pleasure
• Reflect spiritual & cultural identity
6
4. 2 Tailoring everyday activities
Centre on the person • When we centre on the person we find activities that provide meaning and
purpose• An assessment process allows us…
• to explore retained abilities and skills• to discover an individual’s history (likes and
dislikes, past roles and routines)• to consider the person’s cultural and spiritual
background7
Accept the impact of brain damage
Frontal Lobe Planning, organizing, judging, initiating, insight
Parietal Lobe Patterns (putting together the steps to complete a task), communication (written and verbal), spatial awareness
Temporal LobeFiling system, memory
Limbic System (Connecting system)
Sleep, appetite, emotions8
Respect the person with dementia
• Treat the person as an adult
• Involve the person in meaningful and purposeful activity
• Be patient, flexible, creative, reassuring and encouraging
9
Enable the person through…
Our caring relationship and physical and social environment will :
• Maintain skills and abilities
• Provide opportunities for individual’s
growth
• Maintain safety and feelings of security
10
4.3 Assisting a person to engage
Tools that we can use:• Breaking things up into smaller steps –
‘Step by step’
(called Activity or Task Analysis)
• Go step by step using ‘Prompt,
Guide, and assist’
(using graded assistance)
11
Step by step (task analysis)
• Break activity/task into small steps
• Give the least restrictive prompt to enable activity/task completion
• Smile, encourage and give praise
• Allow person to proceed at their own pace.
12
Task analysis
allows each person to…
• Maintain independence
• Maintain existing skills
• Maintain dignity
• Maximise the possibility of success
14
Preparation for an activity – 5 ‘S’s
• Set up – make prior preparations, have things ready or set up
• Say it - explain what is about to happen
• Show it – point and demonstrate
• Start with a Smile – “can you help me?”
15
Balance safety/comfort with independenceAll people have a right to…
• Be safe
• Be comfortable
• Maintain independence
• Maintain existing skills
• Make informed decisions
Finding the balance can be challenging
16
Structured activities
• Assisting with makeup/hair
• Bus trips
• Church service
• Showering
• Crosswords
• Gardening
• Making a cup of tea (domestic)
17
Unstructured (half done) activities
• Chair placed to look out onto bird feeder
• Garden tools accessible to encourage gardening
• Unfinished knitting
• Open magazines
• Basket of washing left to hang on the line/fold
• Broom handy to sweep floors
18
Individually tailored activity
• Personal history (centre)• Likes and dislikes (centre) • Culture (centre) • Safety and comfort (accept limitations)• Disabilities (i.e. visual impairment) (accept health) • Communication (respect) • Safety and comfort (accept limitations)• Enabling environment (enable)
19
Designing and assisting a person with an individually tailored activity
Partnerships with family carers
Partnerships with family carers are crucial for:
• Achieving our mission(quality of life for each person)
• Meeting our core challenge(knowing & honouring each individual’s
uniqueness through how we care)20
Why are partnerships with family carers so important in dementia care?
How family carers can help …
Assist with achieving high quality care through sharing what they have LEARNED THROUGH CARING:
• the meaning of mannerisms and behaviour
• how to care well
• strategies for resolving problems
21
… you engage people with dementia
How family carers can help you …
• Improve quality of life
– Create pleasure & enjoyment
– Meet emotional & individual needs
– Identify issues & problems early
• Provide vital information about the person:
– Assets (social, personal)
– Interests, routines and activities
– Shared history
22
… engage a person with dementia
1. Activities are everyday not just recreational 2. Activities that engage are meaningful to the person and tailored to their needs3. Memory is not essential to enjoyment 4. Assist engagement by a step by step approach 5. Balance comfort/safety with independence
Key Messages
REMEMBER … Make the most of the client’s abilities and go at their pace not your pace and
use all your communication skills
23
Top Related