Transcript Mona Lisa & the Art of Good Alzheimer`s Care

Activities as a Path for Culture
Change – The Best Friends Approach
David Troxel, MPH
Dr. Alzheimer
Auguste Deter
• November 25, 1901, 51 years old
• Problems with every day tasks
• Jealousy, delusions
• Memory
• “I have lost myself”
Be a Best Friend
Being Person Centered
Daphne Gormley, Santa Barbara
• Dx at 59. Credits dementia
meds with helping.
• Uses water soluble crayons and
felt tipped markers for my
paintings. “Rather than limiting
my artwork, my Alzheimer’s
seems to have unleashed a
whole new area of creativity for
me.”
• Emphasizes process rather than
outcome.
• Ambitious, motivated.
• Daphne continues. . .
• “One of the benefits of my art for me is that it
provides me a way of communicating without words.
The colors I use are colors I find to be joyous. This is
a way for me express my joy in painting and in my
life. AD has really taught me to concentrate on the
things I can do not on the things I can no longer do.”
Develop “the Knack”
• Knack is the “art of doing difficult things
with ease.”
• Or, “clever tricks and strategies!”
• Helps in unstructured moments.
Knack
• Humor
• Flexibility
• Patience
• Respect
• Being in the moment
• Creative activities
Moving Toward Quality Care
We Know how to Create a Quality
Dementia Care Program
Purposeful chores
Creative activities
Conversation
Learning &
growth
Using the Life Story
Laughter
Exercise
Music
Animals
Being outside
Skilled, Empathetic Staff
who Build Relationships
Supporting Staff
• Knowing that we
cannot treat staff badly
and expect a badly
treated staff to treat
residents well.
• Showing appreciation
• Giving them the tools
to succeed.
Programs that Embrace the
Life Story
Tips
• Bullet Cards
• Resident Jeopardy
• 1-100 Campaigns
• Putting Life Story to
work in activity
creation.
• Monthly focus
• Shadow box beauty
shows
• Name tags
Person Centered Activities
• Here are some principles of Activities from
a Best Friends Approach
It’s not in what is done,
it’s in the doing
Should be individualized and tap into past
interests and skills
Should be adult in nature
Should recall a person’s
work related life
Should stimulate the senses
Sometimes doing nothing
is doing something
Tap into remaining physical skills.
Should be initiated by others.
Should be voluntary
Intergenerational activities work!
Personal care is an activity.
Activities can be short
Should fulfill religious
& spiritual needs.
Activities are everywhere.
Remarkable programs create
signature programs
“Hope is the thing with
feathers, that perches
in the soul, and sings
the tune without
words, and never stops
at all.”
Emily Dickinson
Collage
Collage
Music Fills the Room
Exercise at Atria
Longwharf Theater
Ideas for your setting
• Signature activities
• Just for Men
• Exercise
• Creating theme rooms
– the beauty parlor or
“Susie’s Salon?”
• Evenings & Weekends
Ideas for your setting
• Visiting:
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Flower arranging
Gift wrapping
Mail order shopping
Organizing
Reminiscing
Movie musicals
“chit chat”
Outdoor time.
• Make it Memorable!!
Recommendations
• Create a Dementia
Care Study
Group/Team
• Consider a monthly
or quarterly focus.
• Embrace Life Story
work even for short
stays
• Innovate in activities
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Adult Learning
Music
Exercise
Spirituality
Recommendations
• Embrace creative
and effective training
– Monthly focus
– Role plays
– Mini 5 or 10 minute
in-services
• Follow up and model
as a leadership team.
Activities you think won’t work
sometimes do
• Failure Free Activities???
• How many of us lead failure free lives?
• From failure comes growth and planned
activities that go in a different direction are
sometimes the most fun.
Classroom ideas
• Apples
• The State of Indiana
Activities as a path toward
Culture Change
• Allow all staff to recast their work in light of
activities
• Embrace 30 second activities
• Teach activities in your staff training programs
• What’s the cook doing in the activity room?
30 Second Rule
Teaching staff (and
families) that it only
takes 30 seconds to be
a little less task
oriented and a little
more person centered.
The Impact of Best Friends
www.bestfriendsapproach.com