Posted 4-4-19
I took a 15 minute break at work from working on a computer to look at the next module in the online course I mentioned yesterday and it brought up some excellent points. If you still need it, here is the link to the (outstanding) course.
This is a reflection section from Module 2:
Read through the following eight examples of Lorna’s behaviour and come up with some possible explanations or reasons for the behaviour.
A. Lorna walks around the home a lot, often going in other residents’ bedrooms.
B. Lorna refuses to eat in the dining room.
C. Lorna often takes her clothes off, sometimes in the living room.
D. Lorna sometimes refuses to get out of bed all day, particularly when she has been incontinent and staff want to help her to freshen up and change her sheets.
E. Lorna has angrily accused staff of stealing her belongings from her room.
F. Lorna likes to stay up very late and annoys some staff when she wants to be with them in the office at night.
G. Lorna is often in a bad mood first thing in the morning, and shouts and lashes out at staff trying to help her to get up.
H. Lorna asks when she is going home many, many times a day.
Possible explanations for Lorna’s behaviour:
A. Behaviour: Lorna walks around the home a lot, often going in other residents’ bedrooms.
Explanation: Lorna isn’t able to remember where her bedroom is.
B.Behaviour: Lorna refuses to eat in the dining room.
Explanation: Lorna believes she has to pay for food and doesn’t have any money
C.Behaviour: Lorna often takes her clothes off, sometimes in the living room.
Explanation: Lorna feels hot in the home.
D. Behaviour: Lorna sometimes refuses to get out of bed all day, particularly when she has been incontinent and staff want to help her to freshen up and change her sheets.
Explanation: Lorna is very embarrassed about the difficulties that dementia causes her, and tries to keep these private where possible.
E.Behaviour: Lorna has angrily accused staff of stealing her belongings from her room.
Explanation: Lorna is finding it difficult to keep track of her belongings in a new environment.
F.Behaviour: Lorna likes to stay up very late and annoys some staff when she wants to be with them in the office at night.
Explanation: Lorna used to work night shifts as a nurse.
G.Behaviour: Lorna is often in a bad mood first thing in the morning, and shouts and lashes out at staff trying to help her to get up.
Explanation: Lorna has arthritis which is especially painful in the morning before she has had any pain relief.
H.Behaviour: Lorna asks when she is going home many, many times a day.
Explanation: Lorna’s family have told her that she is going into a home for a ‘short break’.
This is another way of pointing out what I have said many times in Ozarks’ English and with cornbread on the plate. Acting out and unusual behaviors are compounded by communication barriers. Try hard to think through possible explanations in an outside the box way because our loved ones LIVE outside the box.
#EndALZ