No two patients with Dementia are the same. Yes there are characteristics that can be observed based on a specific diagnosis, but each patient experiences them differently. The most gratifying moments of my nursing career have been when I needed to use creativity to find a solution to a problem. A person who struggles with memory loss is a human being, who had a whole life before this diagnosis. They had moments in their life that shaped who they are. They had hobbies and favorite things that can still have an impact on their life. Take this amazing woman in the video below. Not too many people would react this way to Swan Lake, but she did. Someone listened to her or her loved ones when they said she was a ballerina. You can clearly see the positive impact it had on her. Dementia care needs to be customized, there is no one-size-fits all plan of care.
When one clinical instructor in nursing school told me I was meant to work with the elderly I laughed, I even told my mom about it because I always thought I would work in labor and delivery. I was so wrong and my instructor was so right. Even if just one person learns something that helps their loved one, this experience will be a success. Every tip will come down to the same concept. You can’t expect a person with Dementia to join you in your reality, you have to meet them in theirs.
The video was originally posted by Asociación Música para Despertar
Wow! Just Wow! Thank you for sharing this video with us. WOW!!
This is a beautiful blog! I, too am a Nurse (Retired). My mom had Alzheimer’s and passed in 2013. I was her primary caretaker and would have appreciated a blog like this…Best of luck!