There are various aspect you should consider when providing
activities to people with dementia. You should always apply person centred
approach while providing activities. Maintaining dignity and independence is
very important in this exercise. You will have to aware of their interests and
preferences and cultural backgrounds before arranging activities. And that is
why you may need to study their biography or past history or ask their family
or friends about their interests and preferences if direct communication with
the person is being failure. Age, professional background and intellectual
level of a person is recommended to consider as well from my point of view.
Such as, a retired university’s dean, an author or highly intellect person may
not be encouraged to your bingo, card game, baking a cake or gardening
activities. Therefore you have to find out and arrange an appropriate
activities for them. You also need to maintain and encourage to use their
existing skills. If their common interests and preferences doesn’t match one
another and age, cultural backgrounds, medical history, professional
backgrounds restriction interrupts then you may need to make different groups
to provide appropriate activities.
Safety is your main concern while arranging activities. You
have to make a safe place and environment for this. First, you have to measure
the risks if there is any involved and eliminate it accordingly or minimise if
it is not possible to eliminate. You also need to allow service users or
clients to take risks according to their capabilities, but your observation and
assistance should be near at hand on instance.
Empathy is also a vital part of this exercise. Therefore your
practice need to be inclusive. You have to interact with everyone to feel them
valued. Showing empathy is become a part of minor dilemma sometimes. Author
Foisal Talukdar’s Theory “Empathy (different Psychology applies on different
individuals of different types of dementia or any other brain diseases). Some
people may shout you back while you are being empathetic to them. It does mean
they feel they are capable of doing things their way and their sense, feelings,
self- confidence and self-pride still active in their part of the brain. Your
approach should be empathetic from your behalf but not to displayable by words
or any action to feel them that they are now the subject to receive your
sympathy”. Anyways, I have gone far away from this topic. All you need empathy
and understanding of different types of dementia. Such as a person with
Parkinson disease may not be able to hold things right way or a person with
Alzheimer disease may withdraw himself all on a sudden in the middle of your
event or a person with challenging behaviour may start shouting at everyone.
All of these you have to take into consideration before you start and provide
activities accordingly.
Key Points:
·
Maintain Independence and Dignity
·
Maintain and Use Existing Skills
·
Age Appropriate
·
Culture Appropriate
·
Take into Account Likes
·
Take into Account Dislikes
·
Health and Safety Issues
·
Allow Person to Take Risks where appropriate
·
Empathy
·
Knowledge of the Different Types of Dementia.
