How do you provide person-centred care for individuals experiencing dementia?

When you hear the word “dementia,” what do you think about? Do you believe that everyone with dementia presents the same symptoms or has the same experiences?

Take-aways from the 2017 Dementia C.A.R.E. Forum

On November 23, 2017,  the Regional VCH Residential Care Dementia C.A.R.E. Team, part of the Vancouver Residential Practice Team, hosted the annual full-day forum Dementia C.A.R.E.: Forget Me Not. Held at Vancouver General Hospital’s Paetzold Auditorium, the forum was an opportunity to challenge and reflect on assumptions about the experience of dementia.

Health care providers also learned how they could connect with individuals with dementia to provide personalized, emotionally-connected and person-centered care. Individuals with dementia, family-care givers and staff who provide care to individuals with dementia shared their experiences.

Presenters and community partners facilitated opportunities to connect to the heart and soul of caring for people experiencing dementia. Attendees of the forum learned that caring for individuals living with dementia means our values, beliefs and attitudes must reflect a person-centered vision encompassing the resident’s and families’ wishes, values, beliefs and stories.

Other key messages included the importance of being present with each resident by entering his/her world and validating his/her current experiences. The focus of the discussion went beyond care focused on tasks, workload concerns and challenges that staff face every day in providing care. The topic enticed the group to consider endless possibilities by understanding the individual’s story.

Upcoming 2018 Dementia C.A.R.E. forum

With the overwhelming positive responses from the staff who attended, the Dementia CARE team will be offering this forum again March 6, 2018. The forum is open to VCH staff who work in residential care with older adults. Space is limited. You can register by going to the LearningHub website, and searching for “dementia care forum.”