We live in an age where Dementia is being moved forward
into a new era, or so we hope.
This illness has lived in the shadows for far too long
and it’s time to bring it back into the new age, removing the stigma and all of
the other baggage that goes with it, and providing proper training for all
working in the Dementia Care field, whether it is volunteers or professionals.
To do this we must ensure that all staff and volunteers
are trained to understand what the illness is, and how to care for those
unfortunate enough to have it.
If we are lucky enough to be diagnosed at an early stage,
we may well want to carry on enjoying our independence and freedom without
being told what to do and without others following us round all of the time,
and if this means using assistive technology so be it. I have heard many people
say that its wrong for people with dementia, to be using assistive technology.
But why is it so wrong for us to use it when everyone
else uses it on a daily basis and many people cannot be parted from it for one
moment.
Many of us have hobbies that we enjoy doing, and we
should be encouraged to carry on with these while we can.
It may not be easy looking after someone with the
illness, no matter what stage the illness is at, but it’s hard for those who
have it, as life is changing into something we don’t want or recognise, let
alone like.
There are also many people who refuse to accept the
diagnosis if they are lucky enough to get one, and carry on as if it’s everyone
else who has problems
It’s not just understanding the daily needs of someone
with this illness, our 24 hour needs, and sometimes the night time problems can
be horrific when you have nightmares and dreams, from hell, and there is no way
of getting away from them.
We have spoken to many people in the last few years who
have been undergoing training in the medical field from Doctors, Nurses and
care staff, and they all come out with the same thing, we are all vastly under
trained to understand this illness.
So
where do we start.
People with dementia often feel vulnerable as their condition progresses
and they increasingly rely on other people to do things for them.
It’s
not just our hobbies and past times which change it’s our way of life, what we
do, what we see or say.
Caring for a pet cat or dog, can bring a lot of pleasure to some people, or if you are like a dear friend of mine and
myself, tropical fish can help in many ways. I know that you can’t take them
for a walk, but watching them and looking after them is a tonic at times.
If the person you care for was very sociable and outgoing or if they
have a large family, they may really enjoy visits from one or two family
members or friends. Remember, they may struggle to keep up with conversations
if they have a lot of visitors at the same time.
We have to treat everyone with Dignity and respect, the
same respect that you would expect from others.
Treating people with Dignity and respect is something
that is very easy to do, yet it is ignored because many people working in the
caring society think that they know better than we do, a common mistake because
whether you like it or not we still have ears and a voice and can say things at
times without support.
I also feel that we should start this by education
children, who are asking questions about their grandparents etc. who may have
the illness, then move on to making sure that all in the medical field, care
homes and voluntary sector are adequately trained. In fact anyone who comes in
to contact with people, who are unfortunate enough to have this illness, should
be trained to understand it.
I remember going to a local doctors surgery to talk about
the illness alongside a branch manager from the Alzheimer’s Society” in the
days when the Society had such things locally” and we were both of the opinion
that it was a complete and utter waste of time. Only two out of around 12
people were interested, and both were from the Far East.
The rest were slumped down in their chairs, looking as if
they were totally bored, yet it was well known then that Dementia figures would
rocket in the next few years.
We were at a Young Doctors Training Event in London
giving a talk, and after we had finished we were told by a young trainee
doctor, that he had learnt more in half an hour than he had at his training
lectures, because it can from people with the knowledge of the illness, and not
a text book lecture. The very same thing happened at a University where social
workers were being trained, so I have to ask why this lecturer’s rely on text
books which talk about basic dementia, when there is in theory no such thing.
There is no way you can lecture on this illness, in the
time allowed, possibly 10 hours if you are lucky, because this illness, covers
such a vast field.
There may well be less than 10 known types of dementia,
but there are well over 120 variations of the illness. Which means that we will
go down a different route, with different symptoms and needs to the next person.
I have a friend with Lewy Body dementia, and we are both vastly
different even though he frequently says otherwise.
I cannot quote chapter and verse like him, as I struggle
at times to remember what I did earlier or the day before. I need time t take on board what has been
said before I can come up with the correct answer.
This can be stressful at times, and can at times end up
with things coming out the wrong way, which is embarrassing and distressing,
especially if those around pick it up the wrong way and do not make allowances
for the illness.
So with this in mind we simply cannot train people to
understand the illness, and expect one size to fit all, it just cannot work,
and will not work because we are all vastly different individuals.
Dementia care should by a specialist course on its own,
and everyone who is going to work in this field should have recognised training,
not just in what the illness is but how they can understand it, and what our
needs may be.
Many people write their own life stories in the hope that
when we go into hospital or care this can be used by staff to understand who we
are and what we enjoy doing. In this way these same staff members may learn
about us and then with luck, they will treat us with the dignity and respect
that they would expect from others.
Its also a very important document as it is there for our
families when we have gone, so they can understand more about who we were and
what we possibly did.
I was once in the sad position when a trainee worker came
to our home, and they really did not have a clue about the illness, she
obviously thought that all people with dementia were deaf and stupid.
Because she came right up to my face and shouted. I don’t
know how I did not slap her because like it or not she had come into my safety
zone and done something that frightened me completely. Like many with this
illness, I am not violent, by when someone startles us like that it gets the
wrong reaction, and we will get the blame.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I always say that we may have this illness, but we are all so different.
This is my own daily problems, but I would gladly share anyone elses, if they send them in,