DEM 308 Understand the role of communication and interactions with individuals who have dementia
1. Understand that individuals with dementia may communicate in different ways
1.1 Explain how individuals with dementia may communicate through their behaviour
The way a person is behaving is usually a good indicator of what they are trying to communicate, especially if they have difficulty expressing their feelings with words. Body language will also provide clues. People wish to be heard and validated and the way they behave may indicate how they are feeling. so a person presenting as angry may be feeling frustrated. People presenting as sad may be experiencing vivid memories of a past event that seems very real and current to
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It is important to her that I keep reminding her of the time of day, day of the week etc. and also she needs constant reassurance about where her daughter is. This helps to keep the client from feeling lost in her day.
2.2 Explain how positive interactions with individuals who have dementia can contribute to their wellbeing
Positive interactions can help reduce agitation caused by frustration and give a person a feeling that they do matter. By lending an understanding ear to someone with Alzheimer's to verbalize their frustrations, worries and fears, the negative emotions can diminish. This will contribute to better cognitive functioning and behaviour. Dementia can be a lonely illness and giving someone you time and undivided attention can help them to remain centred and calm.
2.3 Explain the importance of involving individuals with dementia in a range of activities
Cognitive stimulation can help to slow the decline of dementia in the early stages. Stimulation helps to keep the processes of the brain functioning.
Boredom and frustration are the two most common causes of challenging behaviour in with dementia. Taking part in a physical or mental activity can provide a welcome distraction from the stresses of the illness and can help to focus them on the positive and fun aspects of life. Activity can be as simple as holding a conversation, singing or going for a walk and discussing what is seen.
2.4 Compare a reality orientation
Demonstrate how an individual with dementia has been valued, included and able to engage in daily life.
A4) Describe the impact the behaviours of carers and others may have on an individual with dementia.
Dementia as a clinical syndrome is characterised by global cognitive impairment, which represents a decline from previous level of functioning and is associated with impairment in functional abilities and in many cases behavioural and psychiatric disturbances.
• Every individual, including individuals with dementia, has their unique life history, lifestyle, culture and preferences, including their likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests, which makes an individualised approach in care necessary.
Unit-4, Q3. Explain how negative beliefs, values and misunderstandings can affect a person's attitude towards people with dementia. Unit-4, Q4. Explain how positive beliefs and values can affect a person's attitude towards a people with dementia. Unit-4, Q5. Describe the steps you can take to ensure a person with dementia feels valued , included and able to engage in daily life. Unit-4, Q6. Describe the practices that could make a person with dementia feel excluded. Unit-4, Q7. Explain why it is important to include individuals with dementia in all aspects of their care. Unit-4, Q8. Describe how an older person's experience of dementia may be different to a younger person who develops dementia. Unit-4, Q9. Mr Singh is a 75 year old gentleman who moved to England from India when he was in his 30s. Mr Singh is a practicing Sikh. He does speak English but because of his dementia he has reverted to only speaking in Punjabi. Describe the steps you could take to gain knowledge and understanding of Mr Singh's needs and preferences. Unit-4, Q10. Sophie is a 39 year old lady who has Down's syndrome. She has also developed dementia which is progressing quite quickly. Sophie has been admitted to a care facility which specialises in supporting people who have learning disabilities and also have dementia. Describe the knowledge and understanding that the staff would need in order to work in a person-centred way with Sophie.
2. Explain how positive interactions with individuals who have dementia can contribute to their wellbeing.
1.3 Individual’s process information in different ways therefore depending on their abilities will depend on their limitations of individuals with dementia. Some people are aware of their limitations, this may make them feel sad for the way they are now and making them worried about the future. Usually as the disease progresses, the level of self-awareness will most likely decline as well. In earlier stages of dementia the person you care fore may deny or not understand that they have the disease and this can then result in them not realising their own limitations in their abilities, such as driving, cooking etc.
Dementia effects your memory and a person’s ability to achieve a normal everyday task and activities.
An intervention was developed to decrease behavioral disturbances and increase pleasant events for individuals with dementia based on the theory of PLST (Gerdner & Hall & Buckwalter 2002). The approach consists of educating family caregivers how to identify problem-solving strategies and incorporate environmental modifications. These activities are meant to be designed at the individual's targeted level of functioning and support ADL tasks (Logsdon & McCurry & Teri
One of my main questions was whether I could do anything emotionally to cope with Alzheimer’s and with that search I had better luck. One of my favorite pieces of information I found was to face your feelings head on “think of all emotions...positive and negative...be as sad as you want...work through anger and frustration...these are healthy feelings...it’s common to feel love and anger at the same time” Taken from a paper published on (“Alzheimer’s Association website”). The next thing I found that helped me personally was how to deal with guilt, personally I’ve experienced feeling guilty when taking a break or not being there for my grandma when she needed me, as well as regretting things I had done before knowing about the illness. Something interesting I found that I would’ve never thought of was to continue to participate in as many activities as possible.(“Alzheimer’s Association” pg. ) I also found that a good way to keep an emotional connection longer is to personally connect with the sufferer. A few ways to do that is to keep eye contact with throughout the conversation, to always refer to them by name when talking, continue the conversation as long as possible because is makes the person with AD feel better about themselves, and be aware of the body language you’re presenting (“Grief and loss as Alzheimer’s progresses” pg. ). I would say the most essential piece of information I learned was the best thing I can do is just comfort the person with AD and make their time left as easy as
Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their
1.4 The impact the behaviours of carers and others may have on an individual with dementia include becoming more confused and frustrated as they do not understand what you are telling, are using body language that suggests something different to what you are saying. They may feel you are telling them off or
As a person's dementia develops, it is likely to have an impact on some of their abilities but there will still be lots that the person can enjoy doing, both individually and with others. Maintaining existing skills, as far as possible, can give the person pleasure and boost their confidence. For this reason, it is important to help them find activities that they enjoy doing, and to continually adapt them to meet the person's changing interests and needs, throughout the illness.
Dementia is the loss of brain function it’s most likely to affect memory , thinking , language , and behavior. With certain caregivers they should feel comfortable because they can have a lot of frustrations during this time . According to “What Does Dementia Feel Like” it states “it's the feeling you get when things don't make sense or you don't know what you should be doing. If someone seems angry with you it can feel terrible remember that it's not your fault. They may not be able to control their emotions anymore.” Caregivers should always stay calm and repeat what was being said to make the patients feel more comfortable like you are on their side.
This signifies that not all people who have dementia exhibit disruptive behavioral traits and the elements that contribute to whether a certain behavior is disruptive or challenging will depend on the setting in which these manners transpire and the explanation that others give for particular behaviors of each individual patient. However, demanding behavior has proven to be a substantial part of the degenerative process for dementia patients and has a significant effect on the quality of life for patients, family members and caregivers (Osborne, Simpson, Stokes,