Like pearls of wisdom, the Alzheimer Society offers the P. E. A. R. L. S. of person-centred care. It is an acronym for long-term care residences to remember when they’re facilitating care for clients with dementia. Person-centered care is just that, it focuses on all aspects of the care that the individual with dementia needs when they’re living in a new home. Here’s the list with our interpretation:
Person and Family Engagement:
It is extremely important for the client to have their family and friends involved in their new life in long-term care. Family and friends have a wealth of information to share with staff about the client, and this is the basis for the best care for the resident. It’s important to involve the family in activities so that the resident is engaged. Also, keeping the family informed is a way they can be aware of the health of their loved one.
Care:
The key here is planning the care with the person with dementia in mind to avoid inappropriate use of restraints. It’s about being proactive and experimenting with different positive actions to bring about positive reactions. As an example, the Alzheimer Society writes, “Hugs not Drugs,” and uses programs that ensure the staff are proactively keeping the resident safe, rather than restraining the resident to prevent harm.
Processes:
We need to develop a culture of doing it better and best practices for care across the board for residents. To develop this culture, we need ongoing education for staff to empower them to think up and adopt better strategies for care. We also need to champion good ideas and make the best use of interdisciplinary teams to augment care. In this culture, staff shouldn’t think of their roles as limited, they should be flexible to do what is necessary for good care.
Environment:
Home is where the heart is, so why build a long-term care facility like a hospital? It’s important to have a comfortable, accessible, and restrain-free environment for the person with dementia to thrive in, not just live out their days.
Activity & Recreation:
Every resident has their abilities, and some will have very limited abilities, but they all still have a need for meaningful activities and recreation. As part of the everyday life of a long-term care facility, there should be customized fun and goings-on, appropriate exercises, outings, and interests addressed and revised as abilities and needs change.
Leadership:
We need to celebrate people with good ideas about caring for people with dementia; those who educate themselves and use critical thinking to come up with better solutions are the key to educating the rest and creating a positive care culture.
Staffing:
In a home, the staff are the heart. They need to know their residents and have a bond with them. They need to value the resident as a human being with emotions and needs and not just people with a disease. They need to want ongoing education, be flexible and personable, build relationships with families and friends, and seek their help in caring for residents.
Education is important to be successful in caring for someone with dementia, who is either a family member or a resident at the care home you work for. If you are that caregiver motivated to learn and be a leader, please call me at 778-789-1496 to find out what’s on offer as an education workshop.
Karen 🙂
Karen Tyrell, CPCA, CDCP
Dementia Solutions
www.DementiaSolutions.ca
