Opinion
Respecting what matters most
HOW WONDERFUL it is that a national conversation is now ongoing about ways to tackle dementia. But while politicians debate and governments commit to increase research funding, my plea is let’s not overlook the small things we can do in care homes, hospitals and communities today to change the lives of those with the condition. My passion for improving the quality of dementia care came from personal experience. Ten years ago, my husband’s uncle, Arthur, was diagnosed with early onset dementia. He was living at home, with support, but not coping well. At this point in my career, I had left nursing to train organisations and staff in person-centred practices. These are practical tools to help health and social care professionals understand what makes a person tick and that create action for change. I had a light-bulb moment. It seemed to me that many of the care concerns could be resolved easily by adjusting the way everyone was thinking. I believed I could help Arthur by using person-centred thinking, although this approach had never been taken before with someone living with dementia. Arthur and I sat down and developed his one-page profile. This is the starting point of a person-centred approach. On a single piece of paper we summarised what was important to him and how best to support him. Much of this could have been overlooked – such as the fact that he wanted his food served piping hot and NURSING OLDER PEOPLE
must always have a £10 note in his back pocket. But when he shared these small details with me, my family was able to act on them, working with carers to make sure that as well as being healthy and safe, what mattered to Arthur was put at the forefront of his care. Over the past few years, my colleagues and I have been introducing one-page profiles and other person-centred practices to people living with dementia and staff working with them in residential and care home settings – and I believe our learning can be applied in hospital environments, too. Nuggets of information One-page profiles offer real benefits to nursing staff. They contain rich nuggets of information about people that will help nurses frame conversations while they are delivering care. For example, nurses learned from one man’s profile that he could be distracted by talking about the plants in his greenhouse. Another patient’s profile noted that she enjoyed watching Emmerdale and would chat about it while taking medication. And one-page profiles can make a tremendous difference to end of life care for patients with dementia, ensuring that what is important to them is respected so that they have the fullest life possible. In care homes, a one-page profile will help staff learn what is important to each resident in their day-to-day life, such as supporting a football team, even if it is the first time they have met that person. Care
David Gee
Gill Bailey explains how finding out small details about people with dementia can make a big difference to their care
home nurses and their colleagues work together with families and those living with dementia to create one-page profiles. In hospitals, time is more of an issue. At one community hospital, a nurse assessor begins gathering information as part of the admission process. Her colleagues on the ward then complete the process. Support for person-centred thinking is gathering momentum. Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes is a supporter. Dementia lead at Cornwall’s Peninsula Community Health Sue Greenwood describes one-page profiles as a ‘quick win’. One of the pledges for NHS Change Day on March 3, suggested by Helen Bevan at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, is to create 1,000 staff and patient one-page profiles. This approach represents a shift in power and a change of culture, but it is far from being rocket science. It is rather a case of being prepared to ask different questions. Gill Bailey is a trainer and consultant at Helen Sanderson Associates, an international development, training and consultancy team
Find out more ■■ To join the 1,000 one-page profile pledge visit http://changeday.nhs.uk/ pledge/1011 ■■ Beyond Life Histories is a free e-book co-authored by Gill Bailey featuring practical ways to deliver personalisation. Download it at tinyurl.com/nj5ygb9 February 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 1 11
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 21, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Respecting what matters most
HOW WONDERFUL it is that a national conversation is now ongoing about ways to tackle dementia. But while politicians debate and governments commit to increase research funding, my plea is let’s not overlook the small things we can do in care homes, hospitals and communities today to change the lives of those with the condition. My passion for improving the quality of dementia care came from personal experience. Ten years ago, my husband’s uncle, Arthur, was diagnosed with early onset dementia. He was living at home, with support, but not coping well. At this point in my career, I had left nursing to train organisations and staff in person-centred practices. These are practical tools to help health and social care professionals understand what makes a person tick and that create action for change. I had a light-bulb moment. It seemed to me that many of the care concerns could be resolved easily by adjusting the way everyone was thinking. I believed I could help Arthur by using person-centred thinking, although this approach had never been taken before with someone living with dementia. Arthur and I sat down and developed his one-page profile. This is the starting point of a person-centred approach. On a single piece of paper we summarised what was important to him and how best to support him. Much of this could have been overlooked – such as the fact that he wanted his food served piping hot and NURSING OLDER PEOPLE
must always have a £10 note in his back pocket. But when he shared these small details with me, my family was able to act on them, working with carers to make sure that as well as being healthy and safe, what mattered to Arthur was put at the forefront of his care. Over the past few years, my colleagues and I have been introducing one-page profiles and other person-centred practices to people living with dementia and staff working with them in residential and care home settings – and I believe our learning can be applied in hospital environments, too. Nuggets of information One-page profiles offer real benefits to nursing staff. They contain rich nuggets of information about people that will help nurses frame conversations while they are delivering care. For example, nurses learned from one man’s profile that he could be distracted by talking about the plants in his greenhouse. Another patient’s profile noted that she enjoyed watching Emmerdale and would chat about it while taking medication. And one-page profiles can make a tremendous difference to end of life care for patients with dementia, ensuring that what is important to them is respected so that they have the fullest life possible. In care homes, a one-page profile will help staff learn what is important to each resident in their day-to-day life, such as supporting a football team, even if it is the first time they have met that person. Care
David Gee
Gill Bailey explains how finding out small details about people with dementia can make a big difference to their care
home nurses and their colleagues work together with families and those living with dementia to create one-page profiles. In hospitals, time is more of an issue. At one community hospital, a nurse assessor begins gathering information as part of the admission process. Her colleagues on the ward then complete the process. Support for person-centred thinking is gathering momentum. Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes is a supporter. Dementia lead at Cornwall’s Peninsula Community Health Sue Greenwood describes one-page profiles as a ‘quick win’. One of the pledges for NHS Change Day on March 3, suggested by Helen Bevan at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, is to create 1,000 staff and patient one-page profiles. This approach represents a shift in power and a change of culture, but it is far from being rocket science. It is rather a case of being prepared to ask different questions. Gill Bailey is a trainer and consultant at Helen Sanderson Associates, an international development, training and consultancy team
Find out more ■■ To join the 1,000 one-page profile pledge visit http://changeday.nhs.uk/ pledge/1011 ■■ Beyond Life Histories is a free e-book co-authored by Gill Bailey featuring practical ways to deliver personalisation. Download it at tinyurl.com/nj5ygb9 February 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 1 11
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 21, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
