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Learning To Care for Alzheimer’s Patients
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Business New Haven
11/26/2001
By:
Sheila A. LaSella
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Millions of older Americans are affected by Alzheimer's disease - a degenerative brain disease that destroys healthy tissue, leaving the individual mentally and physically impaired and unable to function in daily life.
According to Caryl Forselius, unit manger at Harborside Healthcare Arden House in New Haven: ”You need a great deal of patience and tolerance to work with Alzheimer's patients. There also has to be a good understanding of the disease. We encourage the staff to look into who the person was before they became ill, not only the person they are now. The [patient was] once a functioning, responsible adult. It is important to look past what they do now, and to have a very good sense of humor.”
The nurses, certified nurses assistants, social workers, housekeepers and recreation staff at Arden House receive continuous training to help them deal with Alzheimer's patients.
A large part of working with someone with dementia is managing communications. It is essential to keep things as simple as possible because the patients can't absorb a great deal of information. There is a delicate balance between managing (and often limiting) their choices, while permitting them to feel as though they still have some control.
The staff is also taught “verbal cueing,” which involves instructing the patient in a step-by-step process. “For example, instead of saying, 'Go to bathroom and brush your teeth,'” explains Forselius, “we need to be there for every step and work with them in a simple, structured way.”
The same methodology applies to activities such as eating and recreation. Too much food on a plate can be confusing to a person with Alzheimer's, so this task is simplified: Extra paper goods and items that shouldn't be eaten are removed from the tray. Similarly with recreation, the intention is to provide an uncomplicated form of relaxation for the person.
Training on how to deal with an aggressive patient is also provided to staff members. The first priority is to ensure safety. When an incident occurs, the person caring for the patient stops the patient from what he or she is doing and gives the patient an opportunity to regroup. The caregiver may approach the situation later or, in some cases send a different person to complete the task.
Although Alzheimer's patients can't always understand language, they are sensitive to body language and the atmosphere a caregiver provides. The staff is taught that it is important to be calming and reassuring.
Says Forselius, “If you're having a bad day, it is best to stay away from [the patient] because they don't understand that it's not them you're upset with. You have to give out a calm, positive, loving feeling and they will respond best to that.”
Continued training is provided through in-house services and lectures to keep the staff up to date on the latest developments in Alzheimer's treatment. Also, regular support groups are held to assist caregivers to cope with helping those with the most common form of dementia.
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