1.1 Describe what is meant by a person centred approach.
This means delivering the individual care, needs, wishes and preferences for the person with dementia offering them the real choices and with respect and support. By doing this you are helping them live a safe and happy life and helping to minimize all risks. You should try to match the right key worker for that individual and this can help to create a relaxed atmosphere for the user as they will learn to trust them. You must always show empathy with the user and this will show you understand how they are feeling regarding their situation and that you are there to help them with whatever support or help they need. By using a person centred approach this is making sure the user is treated as an individual and not treat the same as anybody else as each person’s needs are completely different this means they keep their dignity and self respect which each person is entitled to.
Rapport with the user is very important as it shows you understand and want to help the user as much as is possible and try to build up their self esteem, what their social needs are, and their safety and physiological needs. 1.2 Describe how a person centred approach enables individuals with dementia to be involved in their own care and support. A person centred approach enables the user with dementia to be involved in the care and support of their own life and make decisions about their needs, wishes, preferences and values that they would like. It enables the individuals to choose the care and support package that they wish to recieve and puts them at the centre of the care plan they require. This means they can have the choice about what they wear, what they eat, what they want to do and if they don’t quite know what they want you can inform them of the choices and they can give you yes or no answer or ask questions on the subject . You are always giving them the choice. 2 Be able to involve the individual with dementia in planning and implementing their care and support using a person centred approach
2.1 Explain how information about personality and life history can be used to support an individual to live well with dementia You must always communicate well with the user. Getting to know the user’s experience of the dementia and how it’s affecting them can help in helping them knowing what they can and cannot do. Finding out either from the user or family and friends about their life before dementia can help to plan things for the user, like what they liked to do and whether they could still do it, places they liked to go if it would help to take them now, all things that could help the user live as normal as possible. A person’s life history is central to their identity and can help with the here and now. Try to promote mental stimulation by talking about their past with them and prompt recall or past experiences. Try to find out all you can about their life and personality as this can help so much in helping them to lead a good life now. You can try and get photos of their life to show them , play music they liked.
Try to find out about their personal care how they like to dress their hygiene habits, anything to do with daily living and mobility. Finances are another thing if they can tell you how the like their finances dealt with . 2.2 Communicate with an individual with dementia using a range of methods that meet individual’s abilities and needs. Some users with dementia can communicate verbally, but some find it hard to concentrate for a long period of time so the key is to try to keep their attention by making it as interesting as you possible can when talking to them. Use short sentences rather than long ones, try using personal effects or newspapers, or things from the past when talking about certain topics do to with their well-being this keeps the interest if you are showing them things especially from their past. Use closed questions to get factual information and use Yes or No as answers where possible you must never contradict the user and always listen well to what is being told and show you are interested in what they are saying this way they are more likely to keep talking to you.
If you look at the user all the time you can tell if they are getting bored, fidgety, angry or sad and you can alter the conversation to accommodate this. Avoid saying why if possible this will demand and explanation and sometimes this isn’t always possible for the user, try the words who, when etc this provides room for thought about the topic . If the user cannot talk verbally try using different types of aids to help and watch their expression and body language this will usually give you the answer you are looking for, you can use technology on a computer to show them things, use sound recordings, photos, momento’s from the past or even try playing games with them such as cards this will also stimulate mental activity. 3 Be able to involve carers and others in the care and support of individuals with dementia 3.1 Explain how to increase a carer’s understanding of dementia and a person-centred approach Each user is different from another they are all individuals and as such need individual things , their needs, preferences, and wishes are all different and these can change on a daily basis.
An atmosphere or thing they liked yesterday might not apply today so you have to take all this into consideration when supporting the user. Study the user see if there are anything’s they like on a daily basis that don’t change and how they like to do things. Talk to the user to get to know them and their likes and dislikes. See what their habits are and routines. Talk to family and friends or anybody that knows the user well find out all that you can about the user so you can help them to the best of their ability. In their bedroom if in a care home put the things they like where they want them to make them feel at ease and safe. The more you can find out about the user the better you can help them lead a safe, happy and healthy life. 3.2 Demonstrate how to involve carers and others in the support of an individual with dementia. There are a lot of people and organizations that can be used in the support of the user.
Family are usually the main one as they really know the person and can give you a lot of information to help you, friends are another , they sometimes know things the user hasn’t told their family. Occupational therapists are there to help, nurses and support groups like the Alzheimers society, Age uk , Doctors. There are so many people out there willing to help make the life of the user fulfilling. Colleagues often hear things that the user has told them always communicate with staff and make sure others you work with know to. The main thing is to listen to the user and have interaction with them so they learn to trust you and then they are more likely to talk and tell you what they want and always give encouragement as this makes the user feel worthwhile and wanted.