Tag: aged care

Shaving the Aged Care Cuts…A ‘Rough Cut’ Indeed

Brett0 comment

 

I am addressing a subject today that may not have been brought up before, but after hearing stories from family members from several different nursing homes it is a conversation that needs to be had. Shaving (and personal grooming) is a big part of caring for an elderly resident, and I would imagine the objective is to continue the routines and standards that were in place when the resident was at home.

It has been said that some nursing homes are ‘penny pinching’ by using the cheapest and nastiest razors. This is false economy in my opinion. If a ‘rough shave’ is given to a resident it will potentially cause agitation to the resident, and frustrate carers and make their role even more difficult. It will cause a painful experience for the resident, but also add more time to complete ADL’s (activities of daily living). I have even heard some carers are buying better quality razors for residents (with their own money) and storing them in their cars. I believe this is a situation that should not occur in modern times but it certainly highlights how carers feel (when they are already on low wages) yet have the decency to selflessly do this kind act for their residents. Bravo I say!

Bob uses his own electric shaver so I am not sure who bears the costs in these situations, but I assume razors are a cost that is incurred by the nursing home, unless the family wishes to provide their own? Can anybody clarify this for me?….What if the person has no family or has fallen out with their family? What are the protocols here?….I am also told that some aged care homes have towel and flannel limits per resident (eg one of each per shower). Surely in the name of hygiene and human decency extra towels can be obtained by carers if required?

We need to treat our elderly community with respect and dignity at every opportunity.

download-1

Time For Change

Brett4 Comments

After the recent publicity on the alleged abuse of an elderly man in an Adelaide nursing home I felt it was important to address some issues in regard to aged care.

The following opinions are my own and I just want to clarify that I am a family carer and not employed in the industry. I have however spent many days inside nursing homes as a family member and volunteer.

Firstly, ‘Dementia Downunder’(DD) is a positive dementia based forum & environment. The majority of topics and posts are discussion points for positive change and improvements to the way we care for the elderly, as well as providing support for families.

I have left the recent news footage post on the DD Facebook site (refer link below) on this occasion as it is a very ‘public conversation’ that is being beamed across Australia via news services and across the globe via the internet (so is widely viewed regardless). It is important that we remain informed and also have balanced views when it comes to forming opinions and subsequently airing responses. We do not want to display outrage by attacking people, organizations and industries with nasty comments and bullying via social media.

I would hope that we do not become disrespectful to our many wonderful carers and nurses based on this news article/report of an individual case. I see first-hand the challenges faced by carers and nurses across a day and it is simply not easy. Whilst there will always be a minority of people not doing the right thing it is imperative that we value our aged care workers and as family members continue to work together to provide great care outcomes for our loved ones. People with dementia are really vulnerable and may struggle to make the most simple of decisions or perform everyday tasks, and it is these people that we need to ensure are our highest priority.

This recent nursing home incident on the news is extremely traumatic and very confronting. The story is probably not an isolated incident, and the general public will want to express anger, however I am more interested in what we can learn from this situation and what we can do to create culture change?

What I learnt:

• It highlights how vulnerable our senior citizens are when placed in care.
• It illustrates the desperate measures taken by a family to protect their loved ones.
• It shows that some people should not be working in aged care.
• We need to have measures in place to attract the ‘right people’ into aged care both financially and with their working conditions.
• Training is vital and so is monitoring and auditing the systems.
• Are our current models of care based on old information and techniques from decades gone by?
• When we use the overused buzz word ‘person centred’ should it be used if the person is not the single prime focus of the task or environment?
• Do we always consider the person’s feelings and well being when aged care decisions are made?
• Budget cutting ultimately impacts on the person receiving the care.
• Australia needs to lead the way in aged care with our ageing population and be proactive, innovative and do so with a genuine desire to look after our elderly .

It is time for change – and we need to place a priority on our aged community and ensure they live out their lives on their terms and with dignity.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/hidden-camera-captures-abuse-suffocation-attempt-of-elderly-man-in-adelaide-nursing-home/news-story/4c3c440a0ead0440207dcd1a04f14993

 

 

Time To Change The Beat?….

Brett0 comment

 

I received a good suggestion today from a senior aged care executive in regard to the role of police attending call-outs by residents. There are many occasions when people with dementia engage police patrols to attend their aged care facility in relation to “stolen items”.

The police are often called to find these stolen items only to discover they are in fact ‘misplaced items’ that have been put in a different drawer by mistake.The patrols are obliged to attend these incidents which are often a waste of time and police resources.

The suggestion was to have dedicated police that could handle this type of situation on the lower end of the urgency scale.

Perhaps older police members that have dementia/aged care training? The call out could be handled by a single member (as opposed to a pair) and perhaps be an excellent role for someone nearing retirement age.

I thought this was a positive and proactive idea that may be suitable for our ageing population.

A Different Way To Look At Aged Care

Brett0 comment

 

I would like to share a very personal opinion that may make people think differently when they next visit their relative in residential care.

I want to challenge the thinking of family members and how we feel about our relatives with dementia when we place them in a nursing home.

I suspect some people may miss them terribly, others may feel a sense of relief that they no longer have the burden of caring for that person anymore. Others may be content that the relative “is now being looked after” and happy to visit every few months.

My question is “I wonder how the person with dementia actually feels?”…….

Imagine yourself in their position? You have lived in the same home for many years then all of a sudden you get dropped off at a place full of strangers. You are confused and you go from the comfort and safety of sharing your life with a few family members to sharing your every move with 20-30 new people that keep changing each week and who may behave in unusual ways.

You used to be able to do most things for yourself, and now you are being told what to do by a different person/s who comes into your room every morning, turns your light on, and then tries to get you to take your medications.

Then there is the many words you have to face during your care routine as you rub your eyes…… ” wake up……do this…do that….don’t do this…don’t do that…Let me do it…..eat your food…take your pajamas off….have a shower……get dressed…you have done your buttons wrong..etc..etc….”.

Imagine how you now feel when your cherished family members may only turn up to visit you every month or so for 10 minutes? Do I feel special?…. Do I feel loved?…..probably not…

I had a lady say to me recently about her Dad… “I just want to remember him the way he used to be, so I don’t visit that often”….

Well I don’t understand why you can’t keep living with the person IN THE NOW….. Ok..so they may look, act, and behave a little different than they used to, but the person you love is still inside and just doesn’t know how to express themselves.

It is us relatives that need to adapt to their new world and FIND A WAY to communicate with the person with dementia. Learn to read their body language, look into their eyes and you will find small moments that will melt your heart. If you don’t make the time you will miss these moments, and that is really sad.

I believe aged care is not a time for letting go of the person and distancing yourself, but a great opportunity to really get to know them on a level you never thought you could.

Take the time….and you will be rewarded more than you know…..

What is Life Like For Our ‘LGBTI’ Community in Aged Care?

Brett0 comment

I have to admit I have not yet come across any people within aged care from the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Intersex) community. I have always wondered whether they have extra stigma to deal with on top of the stigmas associated with dementia?

I would imagine there could be some homophobic attitudes and ignorance from carers, people with dementia and other family members, in our aged care homes. On the flipside, I have also heard a story of a man that only felt safe to ‘come out’ once he entered an aged care facility.

Are transgender people considered by their birth gender? Are there specific policies for LGBTI people in aged care homes? Is there any training on this topic within Cert 3 (Aged Care)? As the background and personal history of a person with dementia is critical to handling behaviours (and providing person centred care)…does this still apply to the LGBTI community?… and to what extent?

As you can tell I have very little knowledge in this area (plus plenty of questions), but thought it was important to have the conversation. I believe that a ‘dementia friendly community’ should be one that is ‘all inclusive’ and no-one gets left behind. I am just interested to know if our LGBTI community are being considered and treated equally in our aged care system in 2016?

Anti-psychotic drugs – Proceed with Caution!

Brett0 comment

download (2)

It is long overdue that someone challenges the potential misuse of anti psychotic drugs with people with dementia. We have 340,000 people in Australia diagnosed with dementia in Australia and I have seen first-hand the turmoil they can cause if unchecked.

My Dad was prescribed an anti-psychotic that turned him from a generally happy, mellow person with memory loss and some occasional tears, into a raging bull with paranoia and hallucinations. This then resulted in 6 weeks in a locked ward in the RAH involving security teams on multiple occasions. We were told most people benefit from the drug, but 1 in 20 people have adverse reactions. I suspect this figure is much higher and many cases would go unreported. After insisting the drug be ceased, the behaviours and side effects reduced dramatically.

My concern is that there are several ‘go-to’ drugs on the market that are regularly prescribed without adequate follow up to determine the impact they have on the individual. Family members of people with dementia place complete trust in doctors to offer the best advice, or their ‘best guess’ to combat the behaviours and side effects associated with the disease. Dementia is an extremely complex and difficult progressive disease that has over 100 different types with varying symptoms, and we are in fact asking for a guess, as each case is different … This is dementia.

This blog is not intended to disrespect our doctors in anyway but moreso highlight the shortfalls in the current methods. The medical ‘follow up’ on patients is often reliant on a family member to try and express what they have seen (or heard from care staff) to the doctor in a 15 minute appointment and expect the doctor to make a call on potentially misguided or flawed information. If the patient resides in an aged care home the family will know very little. The family may not be educated in dementia and not know what to look for. Is every carer fully trained in dementia? If a carer unknowingly exaggerates or misinterprets a behavioural incident, the pending decisions may be the wrong ones.

If a resident grabs a carer’s arm is that agitation, aggression, violence or assault? I have personally seen all four words used for similar incidents. My concern is the consequences can potentially be disastrous for the person with dementia. If the relatives have minimal or no involvement with the resident they are at the mercy of the system, and may unnecessarily end up in a mental health facility.

I believe a pre-determined regular follow up after an anti psychotic medication is prescribed is the key. This could potentially reduce the behavioural incidents, which in turn relieves the pressure on the services and the health system overall. I believe the doctors need to directly contact the care staff, as they witness the changes in behaviours and reactions on a daily basis. The registered nurses administer the medications, but it is the front line staff that will be critical in the follow up reporting in conjunction with the nursing staff.

Every case is different and to change our healthcare methods that are well entrenched is not easy. It surely must be worthy of consideration in 2015 and beyond?

download (35)

New Ideas for Aged Care

Brett0 comment

 

images (61)

I was just chatting with a 94yo lady in the nursing home, and realised she was holding her watch which had a broken band. I wanted to get it fixed for at a local watchmaker ( who could probably put a 2nd hand one on for her free ).

I then started thinking about the few possessions elderly people have and thought it would be great for businesses and individuals to help out in similar situations.

Other Areas To Be Looked at:

Teenage kids could program the televisions of residents so they automatically turn on in the mornings and turn off at night at set times.

People who are retiring from jobs or are out of work could act as ‘welcoming friends’ for a new resident entering a nursing home. They can sit with them and make the transition a smooth one. ( I was watching a 97 yo lady walking around alone and aimlessly on her 2nd day at the home)

Hmmm…. The possibilities are endless

tv-remote