During Dementia Action Week, Mercy Health Dementia Clinical Nurse Consultant Ben Gatehouse shared how greater understanding and a person-centred approach can improve life for people living with dementia.
Dementia is often associated with memory loss, but its effects can extend to a person’s thinking, emotions, behaviour, personality and physical abilities.
While every person experiences dementia differently, Mercy Health Dementia Clinical Nurse Consultant Ben Gatehouse says one principle should remain constant: see the person, not only the condition.
Ben shared this message during Dementia Action Week through an article for Australian Ageing Agenda and an interview on Catholic Health Australia’s Health Matters podcast.
Both conversations explored how aged care providers, families and the wider community can help people living with dementia maintain their identity, relationships and quality of life.
“Life doesn’t stop when dementia starts,” Ben said.
“People living with dementia can still experience pleasure, purpose and connection. Good care begins with understanding what matters to that individual and supporting them to continue living life in a way that is meaningful to them.”
More than completing a task
Ben’s central message was the need to continue shifting from task-focused care to person-centred care within residential aged care.
“The difference is not complicated,” he said.
“Task-focused care is making sure the job gets done. Person-centred care is recognising that the way you do that job matters too.
“It might mean sitting with someone for an extra minute at breakfast rather than simply putting their meal in front of them. It might mean knowing what they used to do for work, what music they like or what makes them laugh, and using that knowledge to make an interaction more meaningful.”
This approach recognises that essential care tasks form only one part of a person’s experience. Social interaction, choice, familiar activities and opportunities to contribute can all support a resident’s wellbeing.
Earlier this year, Mercy Health explored how these principles could be more consistently embedded in everyday care through a 16-week Dementia Model of Care pilot at Mercy Place Parkville, Mercy Place Fernhill and Mercy Place Ballarat.
Developed with input from residents, families and staff, the model brings together established elements of good dementia care, including individualised support, meaningful relationships, dementia-friendly environments and practical education for staff.
Building confidence and understanding
In his Health Matters interview, Ben discussed how Mercy Health supports staff to translate dementia education into everyday care.
He leads a network of dementia champions across Mercy Health’s residential aged care homes. Each month the champions get together and share experiences, discuss challenges and consider how new knowledge and research can be applied within their homes.
Ben said education is most effective when staff also have access to practical coaching, visible leadership and opportunities to learn from one another.
This support helps staff respond to each resident as an individual and navigate complex questions, including how to respect personal choice and independence while managing safety and the dignity of risk.
Reducing stigma through conversation
Dementia Action Week also encourages people to speak more openly about dementia and challenge the assumptions surrounding it.
Ben acknowledged that family members, friends and members of the community can feel uncertain about how to interact with a person whose communication, memory or behaviour has changed.
“We need to continue to talk about dementia, raise awareness of what dementia is and get down to specifics about how we communicate in a therapeutic, helpful and positive manner with people living with dementia,” he said.
That communication may involve listening without correcting, acknowledging the person’s emotions and responding to the meaning behind what they are expressing.
Sometimes, the most helpful response is not to correct the person or try to solve the situation. It is simply to acknowledge their feelings, remain alongside them and connect from one person to another.
Read Ben’s article, From task-focused to person-centred dementia care, in Australian Ageing Agenda.
Listen to Ben’s Health Matters interview through YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
