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Learn how creative activities and personalized care can impact individuals with Alzheimer's. Discover the Best Friends Approach for better dementia care.
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Activities as a Path for Culture Change – The Best Friends ApproachDavid Troxel, MPH
Auguste Deter • November 25, 1901, 51 years old • Problems with every day tasks • Jealousy, delusions • Memory • “I have lost myself”
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 Gormley, Santa Barbara
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
We Know how to Create a Quality Dementia Care Program Purposeful chores Creative activities Being outside Learning & growth Conversation Using the Life Story Laughter Exercise Animals Music
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.
Tips • Bullet Cards • 1-100 Campaigns • Monthly focus • Shadow box beauty shows • Resident Jeopardy • Putting Life Story to work in activity creation. • Name tags
Person Centered Activities • Here are some principles of Activities from a Best Friends Approach
Should be individualized and tap into past interests and skills
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
Signature activities Exercise Evenings & Weekends Ideas for your setting • Just for Men • Creating theme rooms – the beauty parlor or “Susie’s Salon?”
Visiting: Flower arranging Gift wrapping Mail order shopping Organizing Reminiscing Movie musicals “chit chat” Outdoor time. Make it Memorable!! Ideas for your setting
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 • 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.