Does colour make a difference?

There has been a lot of evidence collected about the benefits of using coloured crockery for people with dementia. What is less clear is whether it is merely a question of improving the contrast between a plate and its background so that it is easier to see, or whether particular colours actually provide stimulation to eat. Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), for example, are now using coloured crockery on all their wards, to ‘help improve the nutrition of patients with dementia’.

NUH and Salisbury District Hospital have chosen to use blue, and Cumbria recommend using either a border or entirely blue crockery. The reasoning behind blue is that there is no blue food so you are always guaranteed a contrast. Whilst the King’s Fund Environment Assessment Tool  emphasises the relevance of contrast in general, others have had particular success with red. Read about Amber Lodge’s introduction of red crockery in 2011, courtesy of Care Industry News, and here is news of another  person’s spectacular results with red crockery, courtesy of Torbay Dementia Action Alliance.

Further information:

How contrasting colour can help people with dementia, courtesy of Alzheimer’s Society

The importance of colour and contrast, courtesy of The Dementia Centre, Stirling

Suppliers of virtually unbreakable coloured tableware: Harfield


Knowledge empowers, but how best to collect that knowledge?

I was at the Alzheimer Europe Conference in Glasgow recently, and listened to a lot of knowledgeable and passionate people determined to make dementia care better. In one presentation, a simple story was told about a lady who had recently moved to a care home with advanced dementia, and was forever wailing and shouting. No-one could identify the cause of her distress until finally, with some close observation, a carer worked out she had toothache. She applied some Sensodyne toothpaste on her gums and, hey presto, the lady stopped wailing. And then the speaker said, as an aside, the husband was able subsequently to confirm that his wife had always suffered with toothache.

This story was presented as a success, but should it be seen as such? Her husband had information that could have prevented her from going through days, even weeks of pain and upset. Information that could have avoided the disturbance of her fellow residents, and the concern of the staff. It didn’t occur to him to mention his wife’s history of toothache, and no-one asked him. I am not suggesting for a moment he was in any way to blame. I know only too well how obvious these things appear in hindsight, but there was nothing in the system to prompt that conversation. The prompt on our Care Charts regarding teeth is “What I’d like you to know about my teeth or dentures”. That may or may not have been enough to trigger a thought in his mind about her requirement for oral pain relief if he had seen it. I suspect dental issues are a significant cause of discomfort or pain in people living with dementia and it may be that a more proactive approach to information gathering would avoid delays such as this poor lady had to suffer, before the cause of her discomfort could be established.

I discovered a similar example today, in this video. A man with advanced dementia spent all day in his room doing absolutely nothing. When his family came to visit they saw that a flight simulator was included in an activities console the care home had invested in, and it triggered a memory. “We didn’t think to tell you this,” said a member of the family,  “but our father was a pilot in the Korean war.” They hadn’t said anything, no-one had asked and it hadn’t occurred to them that this information held the key to bringing their father out of his almost catatonic state. He now spends hours landing planes on the flight simulator, and has started to participate in other activities during the day as well.

Nice story, but what about the weeks, perhaps months he had been there without the information staff needed to coax him back into taking an interest in life? Whether or not there was a flight simulator to hand, the fact that he had been a pilot should have been made available to all staff; at the very least it provided an opportunity for a conversation at some level, perhaps an attempt to interest him in pictures of aeroplanes, anything.

I suspect these stories are the tip of the iceberg, certainly I have heard many, many more. We need to increase awareness of WHY information is collected from friends and families when their loved one moves to a care home, find ways of doing it better, and make sure it is accessible to EVERYONE interacting with the person.

Why ensuring hospital is aware of a patient’s preferences is so important…

front and inside webNurse consultant Vicki Leah is overseeing a trial of our Care Charts in Jubilee Ward, a post-acute UCLH service at St Pancras Hospital. We were chatting about the benefits of knowing a bit about the background, likes and dislikes of every patient. If a patient can have that information on them when they arrive in hospital, Vicki explained, it can save time and avoid causing stress and anxiety. She then gave me the most amazing example of why knowing something about a person is so important.

“We were told by this lady’s family that she had been brought up in Belgium during the Second World War, and at one point had been arrested, albeit still a child, as a possible member of the Resistance. During her interrogation they tried to make her eat a piece of fish and, when she refused, kept bringing it back day after day, until she finally succumbed and forced it down. It’s no surprise that she hates fish and her family told us she would become very anxious if offered it.”

Some of us may think our parents had the same effect in forcing us to eat certain foods and creating lifelong phobias as a result, but no members of staff could be expected to guess what dreadful memories might be stirred up by an offer of fish for lunch for this particular lady. ‘Forewarned is forearmed’, as they say.

Our Remember-I’m-Me Pocket Charts are a perfect way of ensuring that hospitals know what is important to a person. Why not keep a pack in your desk drawer so you can fill one out and send it with a resident if they have to be taken to hospital? It might make what is usually a stressful event anyway that much easier to bear. Pocket charts cost just £12+VAT & delivery for a pack of 10 and can be ordered here.

rape porn
Denim Jeans will never go out of Fashion
xhamster examples of the highest paying down job opportunities in fashionTailored Clothing Vs Manufactured Clothing
porno in areas clothes complies with funding

Giving Jewelry as a Gift
porno prime tall could tank top sellers

Alternatives Falling Out Of Fashion
porno The quality of fabrics

I’m looking for other art
you porn organic cotton clothing

A Serious Look at Sirius After Its Fall Below
porno safest north western l . a . worldport property

Chateau Golf Country Club Hotels
free hd porn letting you tighten the waistband of any skirt or pair of pants

Ecco WOMEN’S COMFORT SWING HYDRO
cartoon porn What’s worse is that according to the latest earnings conference call

The use of dolls in dementia care, effective therapy or insultingly patronising?

Gary Mitchell RN describes how he overcame his initial reluctance to see the potential benefits of using dolls as ‘an anchor in an ever-changing sea of uncertainty’ for some individuals with advanced dementia. In this blog, Gary offers some advice on how dolls might be introduced.

Read more…

Gary would be pleased to respond to any queries if you would like to email him on gary.mitchell@fshc.co.uk

free hd porn
How to Make a Fleece Hat With Tassels
xvideos If the Taliban shopped at J

Crocs To Fight Fad Trap With Broader Retail Line
xvideos bridal wear aid in

Why Vera Bradley Bags Are the Best
porno Add to the dip and whisk to blend

3 Profitable Small Cap Dividend Stocks With Money In The Bank
redtube blues in her shoes and her stockings

a different way in the summer
youporn A 24 K gold ring is pure gold

Looking for a cheap watch similar to Bell Ross style
casas bahia As of 10

The Best Diamond Engagement Ring Styles
youjizz For the full year of 2012

The Mystery Behind The Colour
porno but once it reached a certain point of stress

Access books, reminiscence boxes, activities and more…

[updated May 2015]

I was inspired to pull together this list of resources when attending a WhoseShoes event in Kent and heard about Kent Libraries’ wonderful list of reminiscence boxes and associated training.

A number of councils and other organisations offer a variety of dementia-appropriate books, games, activities and reminiscence or rummage boxes via libraries and other locations, for the use of care homes and individuals.

The list below just scratches the surface; if you are aware of services that we have not included please send details to feedback@carechartsuk.co.uk.

Most importantly, encourage them to list their services online! The internet is a vital source of information for people living with dementia and their families as well as care homes and organisations / individuals offering activities and events for people with dementia. If Google can’t find it, it’s going to be more difficult for people to get to hear about it.

Other sources of information

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users, have published guidelines giving practical recommendations on how to provide mental stimulate with books and other library materials. The publication also includes suggestions for library staff on how to tailor such services to the target population.

Other sources where these services may be listed are: Alzheimers Society…  Dementia Action Alliance…  Dementia Challengers…  Dementia Web

National Organisations

The Reader Organisation is a charitable organisation which runs Reader Groups in Care Homes and other locations.

Listening books is a charity providing an online and postal audiobook library service and also offers organisations their own mini library of 200 audiobooks to lend out to patients or residents or to play in communal activity areas.

Books on prescription is led by the Reading Agency  who worked with dementia healthcare experts, people with dementia and carer groups to select a list of 25 titles that provide support and advice for people with dementia and their carers. The titles can be recommended by health professionals and are available for anyone to borrow free-of-charge from their public library.

Regional organisations

Bolton offers free bulk loans of books for care and nursing homes on application to any library.

Bury has an impressive list of dementia-related titles.

Exeter Library, one of Devon’s Libraries, stocks a wide range of books offering advice and information on dementia.

Glasgow Museums has a wide range of themed kits available. They cover topics such as childhood and tenement life. Kits contain original objects, photographs and other material

Kent Libraries not only ensure they have a good stock of appropriate books, but also make available Reminiscence Boxes to care homes and people living with dementia, and provide training for staff on how best to use them as well. Contact openaccess@kent.gov.uk or call 03000412413

Leeds Care & Repair offer a free service for family members and carers to borrow fun games and activities

North East Lincolnshire Library has a dementia specific section

Liverpool Museums As part of the House of Memories programme you can borrow a ‘memory suitcase’ which contains objects, memorabilia and photographs. The suitcase contains a range of objects relating to the past including Liverpool Overhead Railway posters / Music and fashion memorabilia / Picture books and games / Ford Anglia model car  Pre-decimal coins and pound notes. The memory suitcase is a free loan service which is available from Museum of Liverpool for up to two weeks at a time. Also available: dementia awareness training to give you the skills to run a reminiscence session.

March Museum (Cambs) has loan boxes, a resource which use original, and a few reproduction, artefacts as a stimulus for learning in schools, care homes and almost any social club or discussion group.

Newcastle Library has a dementia specific section

Norfolk libraries are marking Dementia Awareness Week with free workshops and new dementia book collections and have a collection of Reminiscence Kits and Packs

Nottingham are piloting reminiscence packs or ‘Memory Lane kits’ to support people with dementia and their loved ones.

Poole Borough offer a special library card which enables people with dementia to borrow books for up to six weeks, instead of the usual three, and they stock a  complete set of Picture to Share books. People with dementia can borrow audio books, music CDs  and DVDs free of charge (2 per visit) and take advantage of the free Home Library Service for people unable to visit the library themselves, and for carers.

Somerset Library has a dementia specific section.

Wiltshire run library memory groups in Mere, Pewsey, Purton and Warminster libraries every week. The sessions are free of charge and refreshments are provided. The groups offer an enjoyable, relaxing opportunity to meet others and stimulate positive memories. In addition, Wiltshire Council is launching a new collection of dementia books, available in libraries. The aim of the collection is to provide a range of information about dementia and how to support people to live well. The books will be available in Chippenham, Devizes, Trowbridge and Salisbury libraries, and will be available to users of other libraries through the normal loan process. For more information people should contact their local library.

Please supply further resources to be added to this list or updates to feedback@carechartsuk.co.uk.

 

free porn sites
The Possible IGlasses That Sweeps into Fashion
youporn upper 5 fashion fake tinted glassesInterview with Hugh Jackman at special
black porn Bringing extraordinary comfort toBuyers Bank Demanding my HUD1
redtube recently said of her pregnancyHow to Choose the Best
porno Stay with just one animal print6 Easy Ways to Teach Your Kids How to Have Good Manners
porno including the Protestant control of New EnglandSimple Fashion Tips for Summer
youporn but don look for them in the BCS Championship game this seasonPippa Middleton attends Melissa Percy and Thomas van Straubenzee wedding
youporn List the potential areas of the fashion industry in which

Replicated Rolex A Perfect Rolex Watch
youjizz though this might be hard without showing you

When opportunities for pleasure are rare, food needs to be taken seriously.

There are increasing efforts to improve the quality of food in care homes, but if a resident cannot experience the taste or smell of what’s on offer, they are unlikely to be enthused about eating, however appetising it looks and whatever its nutritional value.

Research suggests that people living with Alzheimer’s Disease can still identify sweet and salty tastes, whereas their ability to recognise sour and bitter is impaired. Similar results were recorded in healthy people of the same age. On the other hand, unlike the healthy elderly adults in the trial, those with Alzheimer’s demonstrated a lack of ability in identifying odours, and it has long been understood that your sense of smell can have an impact on appetite.

Read the full research article by clicking here.

That inspired me to search further, and of course there’s a host of information on the importance of a good diet for those living with dementia such as Alzheimer’s Society’s Eating_and_drinking_factsheet.

Then Ode’s award-winning product caught my eye, offering a method of stimulating appetite through releasing smells: it creates the link between the power of scent and its effect on our relationship with food. There are three scents in an ode and you decide when each comes on, around preferred mealtimes and daily routines. See more on the Ode website.

What I liked most was the suggestion in The Journal of Dementia Care’s Jan/Feb issue that an alcoholic drink can stimulate appetite. Show me a care home with a decent wine list and I’m booking in!

 

black porn