“Can Gerry Robinson Fix Dementia Care Homes?” (BBC2)
In two gripping programmes, Gerry Robinson’s conclusion was
that it is profit propels many private companies, rather than high standards of
care and even when help is at hand, if you don’t get it, there is little point
as nothing can succeed.
With an average 30 per cent return in the £6.5
billion-a-year industry, there’s plenty of money to be made from a home that
passes CSCIE’s approval as merely “adequate”. “We ought,” said Robinson, “to be
ashamed of ourselves.” I would add that CSCIE should be ashamed of themselves
too.
So what does “adequate” actually mean? He visited Woodlands
House in Torbay. Who was left to sit around the lounge walls endlessly staring
into the middle-distance, their brains and bodies in a state of slow but
inevitable atrophy? The staff certainly didn’t know.
Mr Robinson did his best to find out. We were introduced to
three of the residents. There was Les, a former Spitfire pilot who spoke of shooting
down enemy planes during the second world war, “I shot six down; it was
exhilarating” and pleaded with Mr Robinson to help. There was Thelma, who, one
carer believed, “used to cook” and had mysterious temper tantrums (mysterious at least to
the home). One resident, Daisy, was “miserable”, but at least she had the
comfort of her devoted husband Don who visited daily, spending long hours with
her, talking and cuddling because he recognised that their relationship meant
more than anything else. “I love the girl”, he said with deep fondness.
There were many other aspects of care that the programme
investigated but for the sake of this blog, it is people’s relationships I want
to highlight.
Dementia care consultant and fellow evangelical David Sheard
said to me recently in his inimitable northern accent, “the thing is, Sarah,
you ger'rit”. I do indeed.
The reminiscence coaching and life history projects that I
specialise in and have been doing with residents, their families and carers in
care homes this year have been revealing some interesting results.
As expected, they have demonstrated with crystal clarity how
rich, engaged, meaningful relationships sit at the very heart of care in care
homes; at the heart of the well-being and self-esteem of residents and at the
heart of staff motivation and job satisfaction.
I urge any readers who are from the industry to talk to me
about what a huge difference these can make. Here is but one small but
significant example. As a result of one of our life history projects, we
discovered that L, a woman with moderate dementia and a resident of one care
home for four years, had been one of the country’s top dog breeders for twenty
years.
Yet there was no sign of this passion anywhere in her room. By
using the techniques from our Many Happy Returns workshops, her Philippino
carer was able to spend time while doing things for her, in conversation,
gently finding out about her past – something her care plan could not reveal.
L’s family have now brought in rosettes, certificates and newspaper cuttings
for her to enjoy when she is alone and have created a collage of photographs of
her with her dogs for her room that will remind her of these rich experiences.
The result for L is that she is more alert, more engaged
with her carers and more likely to join in activities within the home. The
process has restored some of her sense of self – and in valuing her and her
experiences, has improved her life in the home.
And there have been major changes for her carer, too. Before
this project, R. found it difficult to talk with residents, thinking it was
rude and intrusive to ask questions, but as she gained confidence she also grew
to enjoy L’s company and noticed how L began to respond to her. By the time the
album was complete, she described responding to L “as though she is my own
grandmother” and noted how the bond between them had grown to be one of genuine
affection.
L’s daughters also described how their relationship with both
L and R had changed for the better and how the album helps them to talk with L
about the things she is interested in when they visit. They have commended the
home and Many Happy Returns for the project and say that now they feel more
re-assured that L is in a place of great care.
Now that’s what living in a care home should be like.
Image: Jeff Koons Puppy
