Are You Sure It’s a Behavior Problem? Virtual Dementia Tour ® Results Jan Nelson, M.Ed Second Wind Dreams and Courageous Aging Courageousaging.com

What is quality of life to you? None of us have been 80, 90 or 100 years old or have had moderate to severe dementia! We NEED to Walk in their Shoes

WHY? n Never been there done that n Necessity of staff and families to become sensitized to Dementia n White House Initiative on Dementia Education n Compare pre/post tests to see if attitudes were changed n Ongoing teaching tool

We are Them, They are Us n The way we start n Interruptions n Walking n Concentration n Fear of failure n Logic

Behavioral Notes n Total N = n No. tasks completed = n # who made Negative statements = n No. Reinforced= n On average lasted n Walked out= n # who Sub vocalized = n Requests for help = n Wandering = n Interact with other= n Agitation with other= n Doing other persons tasks= n Shadowing= n Agitation= n Hoarding=

Virtual Dementia Tour Findings n 2.5 tasks VDT 1; 2.1 VDT II completed out of five n 13% felt very justified exhibiting inappropriate behavior pre and 53% post n 27% pre and 58% post strongly agreed that they understand the emotional needs of our elders n 84% experienced an increase in vital signs n 55% feel that residents don’t get the care they need n Sub vocalizations were the norm n 40% gave up and 25% made negative self statements

Agitations n Glasses: Make sure they have the right ones n Lighting: turn the appropriate ones on and off n Contrast: bathrooms, plates,floor & furniture n Stop the Fly By’s: Make sure they heard you n Couldn’t find stuff: Keep everything in the open, especially the bathrooms n No Help: Acknowledge them and respond n Couldn’t concentrate: Reticular activating systems: weeding out the unimportant; theirs is no long working. EVERYTHING is important and is responded to. Inability to focus or concentrate.

What to Do with Behaviors n Give Control Back to Elders n Guarantee Success n Make it as Familiar as Possible/Known n Make choices available n Create calm and safety n Encouragement/Reassurance Needed n Keep them Busy- Things to Get Into n Look at it Simply- n Adjust/ TIME expectations n Cueing n Pain and Glasses

Virtual Dementia Tour Conclusions n WE need sensitization n Expectations too high n Many Behaviors were normal n Sub vocalizations n Repetition n Getting Stuck n Watch the environment n KISS n Tasks n Visual input n Withdrawal = Depression n Positive Reinforcement is necessary for success n Roommates tend to help with comfort level n WE need to change the way we care for dementia residents n Activities should utilize the coping skills

What is quality of life to you? None of us have been 80, 90 or 100 years old or have had moderate to severe dementia! We NEED to Walk in their Shoes