Welcome to Memory Care Support’s
March 2022 Newsletter!
Seeing it From Their Side
Gerald was driving the staff in his memory care unit a little crazy – he seemed to be obsessed with driving! He could see all the cars outside in the parking lot through the windows in his room, he could see them but couldn’t find his keys!
He was constantly on the move, going into other resident rooms, searching through their drawers and purses, insisting on searching the nurses’ station, even trying to reach into visitors’ purses to look for his keys. He had only lived there for a month, but residents and staff had “had it” with him and something had to be done if Gerald was to continue living there.
What could the team do to meet Gerald’s needs?
A team meeting elicited some ideas:
- Move his room to the other side of the building so he wouldn’t view the parking lot
- Give him a set of keys to hold and keep
- Take him out for ride in a car
- Talk with the Geropsychiatrist about medication to “calm him down”
It was a new CNA who added another suggestion: Could someone meet with the family to find out if cars had some special significance for Gerald? Why was he so interested in them? His social history form filled out on admission indicated he had been an accountant all his life, it mentioned nothing about cars…what was the significance?
It was Gerald’s sister who helped with some understanding of his actions. Yes, Gerald had worked as an accountant for several decades, but his life was more complicated than that. He had had multiple marriages and when his relationships weren’t going well, Gerald’s escape was to get in his car and take long drives, sometimes disappearing for several days at a time. Going for a ride in his car was his way of dealing with a difficult situation. Now his actions made more sense!
Gerald could certainly sense he was in a difficult situation – he didn’t understand where he was living, he didn’t recognize any family or friends there, and he couldn’t figure out how to escape!
The team recognized that Gerald’s emotional and psychological needs weren’t being met and a plan was formulated:
- Was there a staff member he trusted who could help him feel more relaxed and comfortable in his surroundings?
- Consistent care members were assigned to him to help him develop additional trusted relationships.
- Regular meetings with Gerald and his sister were scheduled to learn more about what things could be meaningful to him – what were his habits and interests?
- He was physically active – staff and volunteers were assigned to accompany him on walks or other physical activities to engage him.
- The maintenance manager offered to take him on car trips to purchase supplies at the local Home Depot.
The plan was re-evaluated in 2 weeks and additional changes were made.
- Gerald seemed to relax when he was physically active. His sister was able to schedule walks with him to the local park 2 days/week and staff arranged to accompany him 2 additional days.
- If Gerald insisted he wanted to go out to the cars in the parking lot, the Administrator would bring Gerald out to his car and sit with him for a few minutes. This seemed to meet Gerald’s need and he requested this less and less.
- With Gerald’s approval, other residents were invited to join him on his walks and he was beginning to develop friendships.
- Gerald sought out the company of the friendly golden retriever who lived in the memory care unit. The staff asked him to take over the daily feeding and he seemed eager to help with that task every morning and evening.
- The office manager recognized Gerald’s history as an accountant and asked him to review some of her spread sheets. He seemed to appreciate the recognition of his skills and the team discussed getting him an official name badge as “Accountant Emeritus."
The staff, with Gerald and his sister’s involvement, were able to put together a meaningful care plan.
Here are some tips for meeting the unmet needs of your residents:
- See them as individuals.
- Strive to have consistent support staff who know the person well.
- Actions are communication – what are their actions trying to tell you?
- Brainstorm together – family members, the resident and all team members have ideas to contribute.
- Formulate a plan with consistent follow through from all team members.
- Reevaluate for success and adjust as needed, reevaluate again as needed.
Have a great day!
If you work in Assisted Living or Nursing Homes and want to make your dementia care program even better email or call me for a free consultation.
Anne Ellett, N.P., M.S.N.
AANC Certified Gerontological Nurse
Founder, Executive Director - Memory Care Support
www.MemoryCareSupport.com
AEllett@MemoryCareSupport.com
Ph. 949 933-6201
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