Published: 29/09/2023
What is Dementia?
Dementia is an ‘umbrella’ term that describes a collection of symptoms which can impact a person’s ability to think, recall, communicate, mobilise and complete daily activities. It is caused when the brain is physically damaged, either by disease or injury. Dementia is not a natural part of aging.
There are over 100 types of dementia. Some of the most well-known include:
- Alzheimer’s disease (60-70% of cases)
- Vascular dementia (up to 20%)
- Fronto-temporal dementia (10-15%)
- Lewy body dementia (2%)
People living with dementia often experience challenges in relation to:
- Learning and memory
- Movement
- Recognising objects
- Finding items
- Understanding writing
- Planning and logic
- Starting an activity or knowing when it is complete
- Sequencing
A checklist for possible symptoms of dementia can be found here on the Alzheimer's Society website.
How Can Right at Home Bishop’s Stortford & Braintree Support People To Live Well With Dementia?
The Medical Model of dementia care focuses on the brain diseases which can cause dementia. The focus is on using medical intervention to delay or treat the symptoms or cure the root cause.
Right at Home focuses on the Social Model of dementia care. The social model is based on the idea that a positive difference can be made to quality of life by the way people with dementia are supported, and by adapting their environment to meet their changing needs.
Right at Home seeks to:
- Empower – we empower clients to maintain their dignity and self respect by supporting them to set and reach goals
- Engage – we deliver person-centred care, tailored to Clients’ abilities, which actively engages Clients in their own care
- Encourage – Right at Home encourage a healthier lifestyle to minimise cognitive decline
Right at Home’s Dementia Support Programme (DSP)
Right at Home have specially trained staff who deliver a structured support programme based on the Pool Activity Level (PAL) Instrument. This tool was designed by Jackie Pool, an Occupational Therapist with a specialism in dementia. The tool has been clinically tested and refined over the years to maximise its impact. Further information on the PAL Instrument can be found in Jackie's book on the subject.
The DSP is a person-centred and bespoke activities-based programme that focuses on what a person receiving care can participate in and what is meaningful for them (as opposed to the more traditional ‘deficits-based’ model of care).
It aims to maintain a person’s current functional levels sustainably and even seeks to increase these where possible. The DSP is based on a thorough assessment of the person, their life history and their personal and professional backgrounds. The rationale for this is that only through having a very detailed knowledge of the person and their holistic history that we can begin to support them effectively on the DSP.
Meet our DPS Lead
Lee-Anne joined Right at Home Bishop's Stortford and Braintree in 2022 and has become a key member of our team:
“I am experienced interacting with patients to deliver quality healthcare services, and have a long-standing background in the Occupational Health, Geriatric Patient Management and Coaching. I have completed the Right at Home Dementia Support Programme training and know that we can make a significant difference to our Clients through this programme.
Right at Home's Dementia Support Programme is something which works especially well when the Client's whole family and support network is bought in to the programme.”
