When a person has dementia it has an effect on all members of the person’s family and friends. Working closely with a person’s relatives and friends is therefore vital. Sometimes this is described as a ‘relational approach’.
Ways to engage positively with a person’s relatives and friends might be to:
- Provide knowledge and information about dementia
- Actively listen to concerns expressed
- Provide regular updates about any changes for the person
- Encourage participation in care planning where possible
- Involve families and friends in the development of a life story book and learn about the history and life of the person with dementia
- Provide information about any support networks for relatives of people with dementia
- Ensure people know about their rights relating to benefits , carers assessments, advocacy etc
Task: Download Chapter 7 ‘The needs of carers’ from The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (The Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 2009)
From reading this chapter write in your notebook the 4 most frequently reported problems associated with caring that carers of people with dementia, stroke and Parkinson’s disease report (see section 7.3).
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