Patient's perspectives
To properly care for someone with dementia, you need to understand the world from the perspective of the person with dementia.
Environments:
Wards are often bland and poorly signed which increases disorientation. Large face clocks, orientation boards, signage and colour coding of bays all help the patient to orientate themselves. Try to keep noise and clutter to a minimum.
Hallucinations: If a patient says something you know to be untrue, do not simply deny it. You have to respond to what they see as reality, and work out how to comfort or reassure.
If a patient is acting in an aggressive way, try to adopt a non-confrontational approach. Confrontation or telling-off by staff, or using sedative drugs, can make matters worse. People with dementia are not usually aggressive, difficult, willful or attention-seeking by nature, although some may be disinhibited or lack social control. They respond like this if they are overwhelmed by circumstances; if they do not understand what is happening they may feel threatened or scared. It is equally important to recognise that a person who is passive and withdrawn may also be feeling frightened and scared.
Strange people doing unfamiliar things can be seen as threatening. Make sure you introduce yourself and say what you are going to do, and talk about it as you do it. You need to make sure you do this EVERY time you interact or deliver care to a patient with dementia.
Forgetfulness may mean things are interpreted in terms of past memories.
Click on the pictures to see how this can be achieved in practice.
