Organised activities are varied in nature and take place in the home or the local community. It is the helper’s responsibility to select and carry out activities that are meaningful. This might be anything from berry picking to cookery, angling trips or concerts. Wang emphasises that it is not the activity in itself that promotes health, but the way in which the right activity is organised and carried out. In order to achieve results, it is recommended that activities lasting two hours are organised at least twice a week. Major focus is then directed on establishing the right match between the helper and the patient. This is because the helper will later be calling on the patient twice a week. Finally, the method involves a three-monthly evaluation in which all parties participate. “Helpers are people who have previously enjoyed an active working life,” says Wang. They may be receiving disability benefit, or are returning to work with greater self-assurance after having survived a crisis,” she says. “We offer them courses and certification, provide them with permanent employment, and pay them for each assignment they take on. These are secure, empathetic individuals who are well-equipped to provide. job-seekers who still retain a capacity for work as helpers and support personnel for dementia sufferers.
Key Points:
- 1The health and quality of life of dementia sufferers can be enhanced by offering them the activities that they are interested in and had taken part in earlier in their lives.
- 2Helpers provide a form of personalized care for dementia patients by helping them participate in activities either at home or in the community.
- 3An ICT device enables the helper to summarise and evaluate all contact with the patient, plan new activities, exchange experience and visualise the patient’s development.
Over several years, Wang has developed a wide-ranging collaboration with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) in the counties of Sør- and Nord-Trøndelag, and her company now certifies job-seekers who still retain a capacity for work as helpers and support personnel for dementia sufferers.
Read the full article at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-personalised-dementia.html
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