As regular readers of our blogs will know we put person
centred care at the very hub of everything we do. Part of that ethos is the
importance of having family values at the core, treating the people we look
after as we would our own family member. Out client B was a publicised author
in the past and loves all aspects of literature. B is unfortunately a victim of
dementia and therefore her life history and experiences are precious to her.
It is sometimes difficult for families and friends of those
affected by dementia to know how to respond when the loved ones forget what has
happened today but remember clearly what happened years ago. Anything we can do
to connect with a person past and affirm or validate their feelings is such a
positive experience for both families and the person who has dementia.
Rather than trying to bring the person with dementia back to
reality which was thought to be the best approach years ago nowadays the
validation method is favoured and practiced by professionals, families and
carers may try to enter their reality, building trust and empathy, and reducing
anxiety. This is known as validation therapy, but many families and carers will
practise this technique without knowing its name. Reminiscence therapy has also
been shown to increase mood, well-being and behaviour in those with dementia.
This can involve the discussion of past activities, events and experiences
(usually with help of artefacts such as photographs, music and familiar items).
Co-incidentally, when an opportunity arose Jacky Payne, Registered Manager at Gabriel’s Angels, came up with a family-based idea that she thought B would enjoy. Jacky’s daughter, Ella, is a keen artist specialising in illustration and was completing a project on a technique called reportage illustration. Reportage illustration is a type of visual journalism. Reportage illustrators sketch on location to tell a specific story and the illustrator conveys a narrative and reports a specific moment in time to the audience, much like a journalist would. The central premise of reportage illustration is storytelling.
Jacky explained further “As B is an author, she really connected and loves this type of storytelling therapy and loved the session we put in place. It is so important that we try to improve the quality of life for our clients at Gabriel’s Angels, and it underpins our focus of family values and people centred care”.