Personalised care model supports dementia residents

Blue Care’s Kingscliff Aged Care Facility team is helping to improve the lives of people with dementia by further developing and enhancing their person centred care model.

The team’s model is based on creating a flexible environment, where staff members work at the pace of each resident who lives with dementia.

Service manager, Bernadette Lee, said after reviewing the facility’s memory support unit, she and her team realised the importance of personalising dementia services.

“Dementia affects thinking and behaviour so we built our model on the premise of flexibility and personalisation,” Ms Lee said.

“People suffering from dementia experience hardly any routine or consistency in their lives, so this is where flexibility becomes important.

“Residents usually have their meals at set times. Yet as dementia affects appetite we had to adapt, so now our team has finger food readily available for residents living with dementia.

“Another principle of the model is personalisation. As part of this principle, we developed detailed My Life, My Story pictorial biographies for each resident to celebrate their own life’s story.

“It provides reassurance, and fosters happy memories and connections. It also assists our team in getting to know the individual; their likes and dislikes, what is important to them, the connections they share.”

Not only is the model beneficial to residents living with dementia, it also allows the Blue Care team to provide the best service possible.

“We worked hard on this model, and we welcome its implementation into Blue Care’s Tailor Made Memory Support Services program.”

Blue Care’s Tailor Made Service Model aims to create services which are flexible, appropriate and tailor made to people’s needs as their circumstances change.

Blue Care Kingsclliff’s dementia care model recently was announced as the winner of the Blue Care 2013 Innovation Award in the category of ‘Tailor Made Engagement’.

The award will be presented to the representatives from the team at a gala Blue Care Staff Recognition Night ceremony in Brisbane, in November.

Blue Care is a not for profit service provider and this year celebrates its 60th year of making a difference to the lives of people across Queensland and northern New South Wales.