Journal of Dementia Care
vol 25 No. 1 Jan / Feb 2017
Full text articles and books are available to members of Alzheimer’s Australia NSW by emailing NSW.Library@alzheimers.org.au
In an environment where many hospitals are struggling to
cope with the rise in demand and inadequate resources, what are the challenges
and opportunities in acute care for
people with dementia …includes letting staff know who has dementia, training staff, address the
under recognition of pain and delirium …p 10-11
What is dementia and
how big is the problem?
Authors argue that social support and dementia prevention
may be a more sensible approach to investment rather than seeking cures… looks
at the limits of medicine, scale of the problem, brain protection… p 16-17
Engaging mealtimes a
chef’s perspective
…how do you awaken the appetite in someone who is losing
interest in food – here are some tips … article explores smell, taste, sound, touch,
sight…tips on presentation.. painting balance and colour…shapes and textures
and flavours and portion size and temperature all matter. And this article
gives you tips on how to do all of these things! P 18-19
*related books include:
It's all about the food not the fork!
Everyone enjoys the fun and convenience of snacks and other easy to eat food.
But for some people these meals in a mouthful are a life-changer—especially if they can be eaten with your hands and are good for you as well. That’s where new cookbook It’s all about the food not the fork! 107 easy to eat meals in a mouthful comes in—no cutlery required!
Don't give me eggs that bounce : 118 cracking recipes for people with Alzheimer's
It's all about how to make mealtimes a pleasurable, social and safe experience in the context of dementia, ageing, swallowing difficulties and texture-modified diets.
Carers are especially supported with time saving techniques, easy options and a special chapter on caring for the carer, along with lists of support organisations and resources.
“Soul journey” to
feelings of renewal and fulfilment
This is a film and exhibition project that aims to shatter
the common stereotypes and celebrate the creativity of people affected by dementia.
Rather than relying on reminiscence and memory based activities they have
weaved together songs and poems and movement and dance around particular themes
generating safe stimulating conversation, connection and creative expression…p.
20- 21
Creating community
across generations
Project of bringing adults with dementia and pre-school
children together in creative fun activities …involves a 5 week project –
observable benefits include:
- Feel good factor
- Co-participation in activities
- Sense of accomplishment
- Sense of self, expression, self-worth …. P22-23
Imagine …a creative partnership with equal arts
What does it take to be an outstanding care home? Innovative
arts initiative wins praise …equal arts program makes people with dementia use
their imaginations in the belief that these activities they will be able to
enjoy a sense of enjoyment in acheimvements.ie meaningful activities increase
well-being …p24-25
Life story work that
brought wide benefits
Both facilitated reminiscence and had much wider benefits in
supporting people to live well...writing a life story – highly individualised
using different methods such as voice recorder …. Included personal
photographs, non-personal photographs , internet based resources, conversations
with close friends , life events charts ….p26-28
*related books include:
Dementia Services Development Centre (University of Stirling)
Establishes the importance of life story work for people with dementia; argues that everyone can get involved and offers practical ideas and a charter of good practice.
Contents: 1. Life story: a view from the literature -- 2. The experience of doing life story work -- 3. Good practice in doing life story work and compiling life story books -- 4. Getting life story work to happen.
Digital technology
and dementia: changing lives
Learning how to use digital technology can help people with
dementia live more positive lives with memory loss. Tom French discusses key
findings from a study showing how new “tech” can maintain mental activity and
communication with family and friends..
Key findings – touchscreen technology and the use of
stripped back simple interfaces are very successful in helping people with
dementia to use technology…by including personalised icons…using multisensory
approaches helped with using email and skype with people with dementia … the
most popular activities included games and puzzles which the people with
dementia could other-wise not do anymore in the physical form – this improved
their confidence and sense of accomplishment… project found that community
support was necessary as well as internet connection…article includes tips such
as training staff adequately , making it personal ; engaging family members ; embedding
technology in care plans…p28-31
Dementia: there are
so many apps for that…
Digital technology is changing the world, but is it doing
the same for people with dementia? Phil Joddrell and Arlene Astell argue that
it can, so long as tablet computer “apps” are adapted so that everyone can
enjoy using them. In 2012, a survey of Alzheimer’s Society members found that
there was a huge unmet need for activities among people with dementia.
Activities can make people happy and more alert or tackle boredom and reduce distress. Caregivers get stressed when
the individuals they care forare bored or restless, but they often feel they do
not have time to organise activities. So activities that someone with dementia
can do on their own can be genuinely beneficial if chosen carefully (NICE-SCIE
2007).
More and more carers, both in care homes and living at home,
are buying touchscreen tablet computers such as iPads. Out of the box, these
computers have little to offer beyond basic tasks such as internet surfing and
emails as so much of their use relies on apps. The degree to Therefore, the AcTo
Dementia project focuses on apps that are currently available, with four key
aims:
• identifying features of current touchscreen apps that
increase their accessibility for people living with dementia
• creating an evidence-based, publicly available app
selection framework to support people to find touchscreen apps that can be
considered “dementia friendly”
• working with app developers to improve the accessibility
of existing apps for people living with
dementia
• making
a website where we can share dementia-friendly apps with the public, as well as
offering support guides and a community forum for use by people with dementia
or people delivering formal or informal dementia care.
* we also have a reading list that we can send you of useful apps.
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