Question

 

Read this case study then answer the questions that follow.

Lila is a support worker at a care facility. Lila provides care to people who experience memory loss. Every day at work Lila faces new challenges as she tries her best to use the most appropriate communication strategies to meet each person’s individual needs.

Some of the people Lila works with have severe dementia and can become distressed when spoken to. Others she cares for are not aware of anything that is going on around them – they are disorientated to the day, time, relationships and occasions. Sometimes they confuse the past and reality taking place around them. Lila has found that no single strategy works for everyone, and that everyone has unique communication needs

Question

8. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia what day it is?

9. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia what time it is?

10. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia of relationships?

11. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia of occasions?

12. What reality orientation strategies could Lila use with people with dementia?

13. What activities could Lila use to connect with people with dementia through frequent reminiscence?

Answer 1

Communicating with dementia patient needs effective training and communicating strategies. Routines and reminders help the caring process easier. This will make both the patients and caregivers task better. Always orient the person and use their strengths.

• Break the tasks
• Keep things simple
• Use simple reminders
• Do things together
• Be tactful.
• Use demonstrating skills
• Role plays
• Use non-verbal cues
• Use simple sentences
• Therapeutic Lying Reduces Stress
• Say instead of asking

Questions

8. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia what day it is?

9. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia what time it is?

·         Say the date and time

·         Lila can use many communication strategies like

·         Calendar clocks with day and dates

·         Talking clocks

·         Words with day and month are shown in words

·         Clipboard which hung on the bedroom wall with date and day

·         Talking watches with time and date

·         Wall calendar

10. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia of relationships?

·         Encourage to speak about concerned people in life.

·         Use memory albums with clearly written names and relationships.

·         Involve family, friends and relatives in care whenever possible.

·         Learn the names and relationships the patient values and use them in day care or conversation

11. What communication strategies could Lila use to remind people with dementia of occasions?

·         Occasion reminders like invitation cards

·         Calendars marked with occasions

·         Greeting cards

·         Relevant costumes

·         Reminders of occasions like previous photo raphs taken on the occasions

12. What reality orientation strategies could Lila use with people with dementia?

Reality orientation must help with disabled veterans to engage in, and connect with, their surroundings. In an approach to reality orientation where the environment, including dates, locations, and current surroundings, is frequently pointed out and woven into when conversing with the person. Appropriate and compassionate use of reality orientation can greatly benefit those living with dementia.

• Orient the person while talking, including the time of day, the date, and the season
• Call out the person's name frequently
• Talk about current events
• Refer to time and dates (Use clocks and calendars)
• Put signs and labels on doors and cupboards or where ever appropriate.
• Encourages to talk about photos or other decorations
• Do not cause emotional distress to the individual by inappropriate use of reality orientation.
• Use reality orientation situations such as casual daily conversations

13. What activities could Lila use to connect with people with dementia through frequent reminiscence?

Reminiscence Therapy (RT) in dementia care involves the discussion of past activities done by the patient, events and experiences other people, usually with the help of tangible prompts such as photographs, household and other familiar items from the past, music and archive sound recordings. It can be done in groups or as one to one process. A non-formal approach is always better.

Strategies are:

·         Discussing and sharing memories

·         Reviewing and evaluating the shared memory (it can be avoided)

·         Re-capturing the emotions and feelings related to that memories

·         Lead the conversation instead of forcing the patient

·         Methods:

·         Music therapy

·         Relevant pictures

• A memory book