What is person centred care?
- It is a way of caring for a person with dementia as an individual with unique qualities.
- It means looking at the world from the person’s point of view ‘standing in their place’ and appreciating how they might be feeling.
- This is very different from treating all people with dementia as if they are the same – it makes the care you give ‘individual’.
What can I do to be ‘person centred’?
These are a few ideas:
- Help the person do things for themselves as much as possible.
- Make the most of a person’s strengths.
- Communicate as well as you possibly can, explaining what you are doing.
- Try to foster an atmosphere of freedom, not control.
- Share your day with the person as opposed to ‘doing things to’ a person.
- Help the person to be included, to feel part of a community, carrying on with activities they have enjoyed before.
- Treat the person as you would wish to be treated.
What should I try to avoid?
Try not to:
- Restrict the person in order to fit in with a rigid routine. Although some routine is necessary, a degree of flexibility will help to give you both more of a feeling of freedom.
- Treat the person like a child or speak to them in a childlike fashion even when you may feel like you are having to ‘parent’ the person you care for.
- Use power to control the person. A person who has dementia can be very vulnerable. It may feel easy for you to slip into a powerful role and control situations. Achieving agreement to do something can feel like a more positive way to do things.
- Ignore the person or confuse them by speaking quickly. Participating in communication can be hard work but the person you care for may feel a sense of having contributed.
- Make fun of ‘strange’ or unusual behaviour. There may be meaning behind behaviours that need to be understood.
- Deny choice altogether– instead make choice simple, less complicated. Show two items of clothing or suggest two choices for lunch.
- Dismiss what the person is saying if it seems unreal. What is happening to them and what they tell you is real to them.
- Shout or use threatening body language. A person who has dementia can often retain the ability to sense your mood from your language and body posture even if they can no longer articulate what they are witnessing.
And what about me?
- Being person centred starts with you! You need support and some time to look after yourself so that you can continue caring, ‘recharge your batteries’.
- Have a look at the Hints and Tips sheet ‘Carer Support’ for ideas.
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