What I say when residents ask me to take them home?
One of the most common questions I am asked by my clients is, “What do I say when residents repeatedly ask me to take them home?”
If you work in long term care, you have encountered this before. You may have told the person, “You live here at Sunny Acres now.” Or you may have tried redirecting the person by changing the topic and never answered the question. Do you like to be redirected and ignored when you ask a question? My guess is no. People with memory loss can feel ignored too. Either response you tried likely did not solve the problem, and now both you and the elder feel bad.
So, what do you do?
Well, there are no easy answers or foolproof solutions when it comes to dementia, but I would like to share my approach that seems to be pretty successful most of the time.
First, I pause and remind myself that it is not my goal to stop the repetitive questioning, it is my goal to help the person achieve a sense of wellbeing.
Next, I try to figure out why the person is asking the question. A number of reasons come to mind that may cause a person to ask this question.
The person may:
- Be uncomfortable or disoriented in the unfamiliar space
- Be seeking the comfort of his favorite chair or familiar household items
- Want to be with family and friends
- Feel the need to be productive and contribute to the household as he did throughout his life
- Be sad that he is no longer living at home
- Not realize that he has moved to the community permanently
And the list goes on. Once you have reflected on what you know about the person, their family, past experiences, habits, and preferences, you can implement a few strategies that can support wellbeing.
I like to ask the person questions that show that I am listening. I make it clear that I truly see and hear them as a person. So, I might say, “Tell me about your home.” Or, “What do you like best about your home? What do you enjoy doing at home?” I might share information about my home, the town where I live, and ask about their town.
I use the information they share to collaborate with them in developing some purposeful roles and routines that empower them to contribute to the community and engage in activities in a meaningful way. Routine and activities allow elders to maintain previous roles and take on new ones that contribute to the life of the household in meaningful ways.
Roles and activities give elders an opportunity to:
Care for the environment by cleaning, washing, dusting, tidying, serving, folding, weeding, raking, planting, and so forth, just as they did in the past. When individuals decorate their spaces with meaningful and beautiful items such as family photos, flowers, or their own handicrafts, they create a sense of belonging to the environment. This contributes to their well-being. When engaging in and retaining previous roles, individuals enhance self-esteem and increase independence and self-reliance.
Care for themselves by bathing and dressing in a positive way. This increases self-respect and dignity, especially when care partners only provide the assistance that is necessary and encourage independence.
Care for others within the family or community. Individuals have an opportunity to help others who may not be able to complete a task on their own due to cognitive, physical, or sensory impairment. For example, one person may read to another who has vision impairment. When living or spending the day with others, one cares for others, and develops meaningful relations that contribute to well-being.
Be hospitable and participate in social interactions. Entertaining guests, pouring tea for a friend, and holding celebrations are all opportunities to maintain important life roles. We need to create frequent opportunities for elders to be hospitable.
Our role is to encourage elders to use and share their skills with others to facilitate their sense of wellbeing. I find that once we provide opportunities every day to participate in the community, the repetitive questioning quickly subsides. They key is to create the chance for the person to do this daily, not occasionally. The activity needs to become a familiar routine.
After engaging the person in conversation about home, I may then say, “I know you enjoyed tending the garden at home. I could really use some help weeding our garden here. Would you like to join me?” An invitation like this is rarely declined, and it paves the way for me to join the elder in a rewarding pursuit. Once I know the person enjoys activity, I work with the rest of the care team to ensure that someone invites Mr. Smith every day to tend the gardens, both inside and outside.
I hope you will try these suggestions, and find that both you and the elders for whom you care will experience a greater sense of wellbeing. If you would like to learn more about how to incorporate techniques such as these into your care community, you can find more strategies in our book, Montessori for Elder and Dementia Care.
The article was written by Jennifer Brush, and published in her website: https://brushdevelopment.com/.
Read MoreTeacher for Special Classes required
Casa Caterina
Dominican Campus
Ratoath Road
Cabra
SCHOOL DETAILS
School Type:Special School
School Structure:Vertical
Gender:Co-EducationalSchool
Patronage:Catholic
Total No. of Teaching
Staff:7
Current Enrolment:36
Droichead school:Yes.
POST DETAILS
Additional Information: Casa Caterina is a Special School for children (aged 4 to 12 years) with either a diagnosis of severe emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) or a diagnosis of autism.
We are a Catholic School under the trusteeship of the Dominican Sisters. Fostering a positive school culture is central to our school. Our aim is to help children feel a sense of belonging, to enjoy learning and to be optimistic about their education and future potential to achieve.
The school currently has six classes. Each class caters for 6 children with a pupil teacher ratio of 6:1. All the staff are committed, enthusiastic and work together to promote children’s spiritual, educational, emotional and overall well-being.
We would be delighted to consider applications from those who are due to qualify in the Summer and may have experience of working with children with special needs.
The school has a number of facilities to support children’s growth and development including a number of sensory areas both inside and outside the building.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- CV (Unbound/Slide Binder)
- Online Application Form
Applications may be submitted by
- Email: casacaterinass@gmail.com
APPLY TO THIS JOB VACANCY – DETAILS
Emma Kilcommins
Principal Casa Caterina
Roll number: 19409P
Email: casacaterinass@gmail.com
Tel: 01 8385326
Read MoreMontessori Teacher / Room Assistant job role
Leap Stone Montessori School is an educational service using the Montessori method of education.
We are looking to expand our team and are looking for a Montessori Teacher / Room Assistant.
The approach: Leap Stone Montessori uses an emergent Child led approach to teaching.
The right candidate: We are looking for some one who is dedicated, passionate and creative.The ideal candidate should be caring, passionate, enthusiastic and have excellent classroom management skills, be very organised and have a positive attitude with a good working knowledge of Montessori,Aistear and Siolta.
The assistants / Teachers role will be to work along side the owner and lead Montessori teacher. This job will suit an energetic nurturing person who is passionate about the formative years of education and works well in a team.
Preferred Skills: Ideally the candidate will have a minimum QQI Level 6 in Montessori or Early Childhood Care and Education. Experience in the same role is essential but all candidates will be considered. PreferFirst aid, manual handling, etc.
Hours: from 8:30-14:00 daily; Monday to Friday during term time.
Term time contract with excellent pay and conditions working with a lovely team.
Contact: please email Jessica a detailed C.V. as well as a cover letter to LeapStoneMontessori@gmail.com.
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We are hiring: After School Teacher
Where? St. Nicholas Montessori School, Dún Laoghaire.
St Nicholas Montessori School is currently seeking applications from an interested candidate to join our established team in delivering excellence in after-school care and education at our after-school programme in our Dún Laoghaire school.
Position Available:
After School Teacher: 2-12 years.
Start Date: 21 March 2022
Description of Position:
St. Nicholas Montessori is fully committed to providing children aged 2-12 with a creative and adaptive academic & social environment. We strongly believe that employing the Montessori principles in guiding children is paramount in creating a solid foundation for their future. The ideal candidate must demonstrate a passion for education and care and a genuine desire to work within a collaborative and caring environment. Knowledge and experience of implementing the aims and learning goals of Aistear, The Early Years Curriculum Framework are required (2-6 years), and knowledge of the Child Care Act, School-Aged Children 2016. The candidate should have the ability to promote a positive and supportive ethos where all pupils are valued, encouraged, and challenged to achieve the best they can. The candidate is expected to be a good communicator with the ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism when working with pupils, parents, and colleagues.
The ideal candidate should:
Have a genuine enthusiasm for working in an established after-school programme.
Be creative in planning and implementing activities for children.
Be available for local schools collections, by foot or car.
Supervise and support after-school children to complete homework in a timely manner.
Supervise mealtimes.
Implement indoor and outdoor activities in response to the children’s interests and the school’s scheduled activities
Be able to observe, monitor, and record the well-being of children.
Maintain accurate attendance records, in addition to other regulatory requirements.
Meet and greet parents in a positive and friendly manner each day.
Maintain close, effective, working partnerships with parents to ensure the well-being of their children.
Be able to collaborate and work as part of the after-school team.
Be open to opportunities for continuous professional development.
Full Clean driving licence (not essential)
Requirements:
QQI Level 5 (Childcare) 1 year after school experience preferable.
First Aid
Children First Training
Application:
Please forward Curriculum Vitae and 2 references to the Principal: mary.farrelly@smsi.ie
The successful candidate will be subject to Garda vetting.