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Oliver 17th Jun 2023 Dementia Day Service - Team Leader
ADVICE NEEDED:

I work in a day service for older adults who are predominantly living with dementia. We provide them with a wide range of activities ranging from baking, gardening, floristry, nail bars, quiz, music etc the whole lot.

Recently one of my ladies has become very distressed and medical reasoning has only put it down to progression of her mixed dementia. She can be very engaged with you and the activity, laughing and very tactile and suddenly she is walking off, shouting and screaming that she wants to go home. There are no known triggers or specific times that this happens and I am at a loss of how to settle her. She will be going into a more suitable care facility but until this happens I would like to keep her engaged and happy as much as I can. Even providing her known preferred activities is not working. She has made it abundantly clear she wants to leave by shouting and screaming and pushing fire exits.

Are there any tidbits of advice that anyone would be able to offer? I am studying my level 3 of principles of dementia and it's clear to me that this lady is not in the right environment but her NOK are in crisis and need the respite we provide.

Help!
Susan 17th Jun 2023 Activity Director
Hi Oliver
This is a challenging situation
This article may help you and read the comments as well
https://www.goldencarers.com/how-to-respond-to-challenging-behavior/3847/
Hopefully something will help you
Crystal 21st Jun 2023 Life Enrichment Director
Is she hungry, thirsty, need to be toileted? Maybe overstimulated, give her a calm space and pictures of familiar family to browse through, maybe tired?
Oliver 25th Jun 2023 Dementia Day Service - Team Leader
She was offered refreshments, both formally and informally.. she was asked if she needed to use the bathroom but she did so independently when she needed to. Advice from NOK was do not speak to her when she is displaying this distressed behaviour, as it angers her that you are interfering. NOK set up a lovely memory box with personal items - this was then used to hit staff with. A quiet, 1:1 support session made no difference. She has since left our service and been given the help she required. I feel there was a lot more going on there than her known diagnosis personally.
Janet 18th Jul 2023
Was she checked for a uti or is the normal for her?

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