Posted by trouble on January 29, 2002, at 7:41:13
In reply to Visiting elderly parents, posted by Fi on January 27, 2002, at 13:59:31
I've been checking the site for a response by someone w/ credentials but haven't seen what I'm after so I'll just throw you a curve and you can take it from there. I'm not an expert but I am biased in working w/ dementia patients and their families around issues of communication and orientation.
In my opinion you are totally enlightened and on the right track in not making your mom's disorientation a big deal. But if you're interested in a tested communication approach w/ easy to learn techniques there's a method called VALIDATION THERAPY, type it into the keyword space and it will take you to links. The idea behind it is respect for the inner life of the patient, and never call attention to their cognitive deficits. So if your ma's bummed out about the cat and you don't have a cat, respect it. Maybe she had a cat once and something went wrong, whatever, her feelings are VALID and that's where you go.This approach is an alternative to the prevailing method of working w/ Alzheimer's patients known as REALITY ORIENTATION which I am against. In practice reality orientatation goes like this
"You just sat down, why are you getting up again?
Where are you going? There's nothing in that drawer that wasn't in there 5 minutes ago.
I'm not your sister I'm your daughter.You don't need two pairs of socks. The TV's fine where it is. You don't have a cat."
When I see providers doing this I wonder why don't you just punch her out? The more they deny the inner life of the pt. the more agitated and repetitive the pt. becomes, the atomosphere is tense and permeated w/ bad feelings, and no one knows their own motivations. But the instant the family starts doing validation therapy they re-connect w/ their parent, laughter re-appears, and it seems separation is a lot easier, since the patient knows she's not being chronically manipulated she trusts that her daughter will come back.
I'm probably going on too much about stuff that you don't need right now, but when it comes to hiring someone or looking into assisted care facilities their stance on R.O. and VT becomes more significant.
poster:trouble
thread:17297
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020125/msgs/17439.html