Time
has always been a precious commodity, whether having to cope with daily work
routines or the additional pressures felt when taking too much on.
Despite the relatively peaceful settings of UK care homes, here time is an
exceptionally precious resource.
Sometimes
carers are subject to criticism from independent reports or relatives of
residents for not allocating more time to meaningful interaction with those
with dementia/Alzheimer's who are in their care. Although in an ideal
world time for activities would be given freely, hours and days are usually
eaten up purely with physical care duties.
As
it is proven that residents with dementia/Alzheimer's can benefit from
meaningful and high quality stimulation surely an odd five minutes here and
there can be found? Unfortunately additional time is often just not made
available. So what is the answer? Can residents help
themselves? Sometimes, but that is very much dependent on the resources
available and the state of their physical or mental health. What about
friends or relatives who are visiting? They can provide valuable and much
needed interaction but they sometimes can benefit from having resources
available to help them.
But
what can be done to support residents, care workers and visitors and to help
make care homes both great places to live, work and visit? Help may be at
hand with the launch of a new and exciting project to investigate the benefits
of introducing small mobile library units into dementia/Alzheimer's care
facilities.
The
project sponsored by the Elise Pilkington Charitable Trust, involves Methodist
Homes for the Aged, Innovations in Dementia C.I.C. and Pictures to Share
C.I.C. All are working together to try and improve the environment that
exists in many care homes, in which there is a lack of suitable resources make
available for those with dementia/Alzheimer's, their carers and visitors to
share.
The
Elise Pilkington Library Project aims to trial the benefits of putting two
small mobile library units containing full sets of Pictures to Share books into
each of five MHA care homes across the country. Designated members of
staff from each home are trained as 'reading champions,' to develop the use of
the books within their home as well as encourage residents and visitors to use
the available resource.
The
project is the first of its type to take place in the UK or overseas and
although still in its early stages, it is being monitored and evaluated to find
out if, and how, the presence of the library units and 'reading champions'
changes the day to day activity levels within the homes. The findings
will also influence how improvements can be made in the levels of quality time
spent between residents and their care staff or visitors.
The
books provided by Pictures to Share are specifically designed for people with dementia/Alzheimer's.
They are illustrated with large, powerful images and supported by a small
amount of large print text allowing readers of all ages and interests to relate
to them in a number of ways.
The
Pictures to Share books are already widely available and proven to improve
communication between relatives and carers by facilitating conversations either
through the images that tell stories, the colour and beauty of an image or by
emotions that arise in the reader when looking at the books.
When
an effective and rewarding activity is found, often it can encourage carers -
whether visitors or workers - to spend more time with residents in their care.
Pictures
to Share books are increasingly being used by care homes and relatives across
the UK and Australia and already some of the great benefits from specifically
designed and illustrated books are being realised.
Although
still in the early stages, the findings of the Elise Pilkington Library Project
should provide care homes with the evidence needed to support the development
of their own specialist libraries for residents. So however little time
there is in the day, people with dementia/Alzheimer's and their carers will
have access to the precious and valuable resources that these specialist books
can bring.
The
article was featured in the June edition of Caring Times 2010