Person-centered care is the best kind of care a senior can get. It’s a way that seniors still get to be people instead of numbers. Seniors Helping Seniors NH has a person-centered approach with how we give care. If you or a loved one are receiving care and want to make sure you are getting this kind of care, you need to know the 6 key aspects of it.
6 Key Aspects of Person-Centered Care
These practices are what gives a senior dignity while they receive care, especially if they have dementia or Alzheimer’s.
1. Know the Person Living with Dementia
No one wants to be known as a number or diagnosis. You can’t give person-centered care if you don’t recognize the person. You should get the know person’s likes and dislikes, what they were like in the past, hobbies, and so much more.
2. Understand the Person’s New Reality
If someone has dementia, they see the world in a totally different way. This means that they will also communicate differently. By acknowledging it, you will be able to communicate with the senior in a better, smoother, way. This way they feel validated and not talked down to.
3. Take Opportunities to Engage With Senior
Realize that every experience and interaction is an opportunity to connect. It needs to be a meaningful connection to the senior to work. You can join them in their hobbies, watch their favorite show together, and more. Even if the senior has severe dementia, they can still have fun and enjoy activities.
4. Build a Relationship
While it may be your job to take care of a senior (if you are a caregiver and not a family member), you shouldn’t treat a senior like a task. They are a person and deserve respect and dignity. Focus on the interaction and not the tasks. Think “doing with” instead of “doing for.”
5. Have a Supportive Community
Having a community will make you, the senior, and their family feel more secure. It also makes it easy for you to succeed. A community will also support the senior and help fight against the loneliness that most seniors have.
6. Have a Flexible Care Practices
Constantly be aware and assessing care practices will make caring for a senior as effective as possible. People who have dementia will need flexibility in their care because things change for them all the time. It’s good to look at what you are doing and see if you can improve anything.
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