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unit 17 part 2
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unit 17 supporting individuals with dementia assignment 2
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unit 17Unit 17: caring for individuals with dementia.
Investigating the concept of person-centred care for people who have dementia to maintain
quality of life and wellbeing.
Principles of personal care.
Care should recognize the uniqueness and individuality of the person who has dementia.
person-centred care establishes a firm foundation for the delivery of support during the progress
of the disease for the individual with dementia. It is essential to read a service user’s care plan
so to plan their type of care they need to personalise it for them.
Dignity, privacy and respect.
People with dementia can have challenging behaviours due to their condition. Individuals with
dementia, particularly late stage of dementia, are slightly different from most other service users
in that they will not complain if the care they receive is low quality which makes them vulnerable
to abuse and neglect.
It is important that if signs and symptoms are sighted, people must report it as it could save the
individual with dementia’s life.
Independence, rights and empowerment
Promoting independence for people with dementia when they are confused or presenting with
challenging behaviours can be difficult to support. However promoting independence and
empowering individuals with dementia as their condition deteriorates, their capacity to make
decisions without support will be harder and to support them a carer or family member will be an
avocate for them.
Ensuring the individuals have control over a day out and they can make decisions about their
day and what activities they would like to do. Do not rush their decision making process or be
dismissive of the choices they make.
Recognition of cultural and religious differences and requirements
Some events on the cultural calendar are celebrating nationally. There are opportunities to get
together, eat different food to usual and mark the passing of time. In the UK, Christmas is one
such event, but it is important to be sensitive to the cultural events of all of individuals with
dementia if they are in a care home or caring from home environment. Everyone should be
given the opportunity to participate in all cultural events.
This is called inclusion and it promotes a sense of belonging. This is particularly important for
individuals with early or middle stage dementia who are still aware of their cultural norms and
who may experience feelings of detachment and exclusion from what is going on around them
because of confusion or the loss of the ability to communicate freely.
It is important that different meal options are offered to the individuals if something has pork in, if
an individual is Jewish as they do not eat pork for religious reasons. However if an individual
,unit 17
with dementia forgets their religion and what they cannot eat, it’s important to reassure them of
this.
It’s essential to try and balance the service users diet so that they do not become
undernourished or malnourished.
Safeguarding people who have dementia
Safeguarding in care is key to the quality of care delivered. Safeguarding policies and
procedures are enforced by legislation and everyone has a responsibility to protect themselves,
their colleagues and their service users from harm. The safety of the service users is not just the
responsibility of the manager. You have a responsibility under the law to protect and promote
the rights and wellbeing of your service users.
Protection versus independence rights
The training as a care worker should meet the demands of the duties that are expected to
perform. Common training programs include dementia care, manual handling, first aid, food
hygiene and challenging behaviour management. However if there is an individual with
additional needs, the carers would have specialist training in that area to carry out duties safely.
For example a service user needs suction because they have swallowing difficulties, the carer
would need to be trained in how to manage and use the equipment safely.
It is important when caring for individuals with dementia that you are mindful of the impact the
interventions have on their sense of personal identity. There are technological interventions that
can alert carers to potential dangers while maintaining the dignity, privacy and independence of
the service users. In a care home, there are door sensors to alert staff that the resident has
come out of their room or pressure mats that if stepped in will alert staff that the resident is on
their feet and walking, they could be a high falls risk.
Safe, enabling/empowering environments
The risk of falls is higher for individuals with dementia, for a number of reasons their dementia
was preceded by a stroke, then it is not uncommon for them to experience physical impairment
and lasting muscle weakness. Dementia can also affect balance and special perception, so it is
important to consider the safety of the service users living environment.
Check the floors for any lifting or damaged parts, rugs can be a trip hazard and spills must
always be thoroughly cleaned up. Sufficient lighting and removing low objects and installing
grab rails in appropriate places will also reduce the risks of falls. Gas detectors and medication
dispensers can be very useful in avoiding accidental injuries such as gas poisoning or taking too
much medication or failing to take it at all. Pendant alarms, fall detectors, smoke alarms, call
buttons, removing hazards or replacing equipment such as unsafe gas fires can also help
maintain a safer environment for the service users.
Awareness of cultural and religious differences.
Culture, belief and religion are three different concepts and it is important to recognise the
impact on care that is provided.
, unit 17
- a religion is an organised and recognised form of worship with conventions that are
observed by its followers and shared beliefs.
- A belief is a concept usually held as part of a formal religion, it involves accepting that
something exists or is true, especially if there is no proof of its existence.
- Culture encompasses the ideas, customs and social behaviours of a particular grouping
of people or of society. This may be on the basis of their shared race, social class,
Language or age.
In a multicultural society, it is important to recognise and respect all cultures, different traditions,
religions and the festivals that are part of them.
Awareness of representation and advocacy.
Some individuals in the earlier stages of dementia may have done some ‘advanced care
planning’. This is where people make decisions about their future care, before their disease
progresses and they become unable to make decisions about what they want or need. They
may make decisions in advance about treatments that they do or do not want in the future.
As a care worker, it is essential to be aware of any service users who have made any advanced
decisions and if they have nominated someone to have a lasting power of attorney (LPA).
Assessment of needs, protection and safety.
Once an individual has been diagnosed with dementia, there will be a lot of changes they will
need support with. Once someone has spent time getting to know the individual with dementia
they will develop an understanding and recognize their stage of dementia as well as their
character, preferences and needs.
Social services will be in touch to assess and review the individual with dementia’s needs, to
identify their support needs and entitlement to social services funded care. Each country in the
UK has a different set of criteria and different provisions. It can be very distressing for relatives
to find that access to the services they feel their relative requires is not available and they may
need support with this.
Communication and behaviours needs
Some individuals with dementia will have challenging behaviours such as restlessness or
obsessive/ repetitive behaviour, to keep people safe and to maintain their dignity carers will
need to find ways to manage their behaviour.
When working with individuals with dementia, it is important to read their care plans to ensure
you know what type of communication will be used for that person such as makaton, body
language, BSL or normal spoken language as well as their behaviour needs to be prepared at
what to expect and how the carer will support them.
Aids and assistive technologies.
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