Cracking the Dementia Code & Sharing the Positive Energy

I love what I do! Being a Dementia Consultant and Educator is a passion of mine and it is never more rewarding than when I get to see someone’s face light up as they excitedly tell me how they made a positive difference by using a new approach or strategy.  Positive energy is infectious, after all. When we know that we’ve helped uplift someone else, it uplifts us in turn.

This past year, while providing enhanced dementia training for the staff of Retirement Concepts (a company that owns and operates many residential and retirement homes mainly in BC and Alberta), I had the privilege of hearing many uplifting stories of how they were putting into practice what I taught at my workshops. What struck me the most was how empowering it was for staff members to grasp the key concept that all behaviour really do have meaning.

Recently, a housekeeper at a care facility shared with me her story about the power of understanding the meaning behind the behaviour. It all started with her hearing strange, loud noises coming from the room of one of the facility’s residents. There were a lot of yells and honking noises, and she soon discovered that the resident, a gentleman with dementia, had been making these noises for the past week or so. Taking a proactive stand, she decided to investigate and entered his room. Finding the resident seated in his wheelchair, she asked him directly about what was bothering him. Though his speaking abilities were impaired, she was able to discern that he said the word “phone” a few times, which yielded an important clue. She realized that because the resident was in a wheelchair, he was unable to access the phone in his room which had been placed out of his reach. By simply lowering the phone, the housekeeper found a solution that put an end to all the noises.

If we think about it, any of us would feel anxious and frustrated if we were unable to use our phone. How would you react if you were unable to find your cell phone or couldn’t make calls on your landline? For the resident in the wheelchair, not being able to reach the phone may have threatened his sense of independence and security. The honking and yelling were likely just distress signals used to try to communicate that he needed help. Luckily, the housekeeper took the time to recognize these signals for what they were, by understanding that all behaviour has meaning. It’s this understanding that unlocks the “dementia code” for so many, bringing with it confidence, optimism, and a new bounty of positive energy that can be shared with others.