dementia friends students PP 25
Dementia
Lesson duration is: 4 minItems in this lesson
Dementia
What is dementia??????
What do you think Dementia is?
In your groups, discuss
What is dementia?
3
Dementia is an umbrella term for a decline in brain function which permanently affects memory, thinking, mood and behaviour.
These changes are often small to start with, but they become severe enough to affect daily life.
A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood or behaviour
What causes Dementia????
Discuss in your groups what you think might cause dementia
4
The main cause of dementia is diseases of the brain, Alzheimer’s being the most common, but also include vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.
However, dementia can also be caused by:
Genetic diseases
Infections in the brain
Brain injury
Prolonged drug and alcohol abuse
Depending on the type of dementia, the person may also struggle to talk, move and problem solve.
What is dementia Video
Dementia is a natural part of aging?
True
False
False
Dementia is a normal part of aging
Although most people with dementia are over 65, and the likelihood of developing dementia rises with age, this doesn’t mean that you will develop dementia as you get older.
Dementia only effects "old" people
True
False
False
Dementia only effects “old people”
There are currently around 70,800 people under the age of 65 who have dementia
There are 982,000 people living with dementia
True
False
True
There are over 982,000 people living with dementia.
There are estimated to be 982,000 people with dementia in the uk.
Women are more likely to develop dementia then men
True
False
True
Women are more likely to develop dementia then men.
This is mainly due to the fact women typically live longer than men.
100,000 people will develop dementia this year
True
False
False
100,00 people will develop dementia this year.
225,000 will develop dementia this year.
That’s one person every 3 minutes
Over the course of this lesson, 20 people will be diagnosed with Dementia
12
There is currently NO CURE for dementia
What is it like to live with dementia??
After watching this video, how do you think it might feel to have dementia?
People with Dementia may…
Struggle to understand basic instructions
Forget what you have said to them or what they have said to you
Repeat themselves multiple times
Become disorientated in unfamiliar places and when they are surrounded by a lot of noise
Say incorrect words in sentences
Not see things as they are
Look at the pictures below.
What do you think a person with dementia sees?
Just a pattern in the floor??
The darker tiles can look like holes in the floor to people with Dementia.
They may try to avoid the dark tiles, or tell you there are holes in the floor.
This can also happen with mats, rugs and patterned carpets
Just a reflection???
The reflection of the lift in the mirror can cause people with dementia to become confused with where the lift is.
Where is the button???
Although obvious to most, the button can look almost invisible to someone with dementia, causing them to become agitated because they cannot get into the lift.
Just a reflection??
The reflection in the mirror can make the room look bigger than it actually is, causing a person with dementia to lose their bearing's and become disorientated.
Where was I sitting?
A person with dementia can easily forget where they were sitting if they leave the table for a short while (to visit the toilet, for example).
This will cause them to wander and become agitated and upset
Just stairs???
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The different colours on the stairs, plus the gaps between each step can cause people with dementia to become confused.
This could lead to them missing steps and potentially falling.
Why should you care?
Discuss in your groups why you think it is important to have an awareness of dementia.
You are all planning a career within
public facing industries
Hair, beauty and hospitality are all public facing industries.
You will interact with people EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!
This means you will encounter people with dementia. Knowing how to spot the signs means you will be better equipped in how to support these people.
Reputation
People with dementia have a large supportive community around them. A lot belong to clubs/support networks where people with dementia and their carers can go so they do not feel alone.
People talk, and gaining a reputation for being able to support people with dementia can help build clients, meaning greater earnings for you/ the business.
People are more likely to recommend the hair/beauty salon or restaurant if they have had a positive experience in there.
Because people with dementia are still people
People with dementia are still people, facing a difficult future.
If you interact with empathy, compassion and respect, it makes for a more enjoyable experience for that person and gives them some independence back.
Negative experiences can have a massive impact on a person with Dementia
Mick’s story
Mick was diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy bodies when he was 63
With that diagnosis he lost his independence as he had to surrender his driving licence and was no longer able to leave the house alone due to him not recognising his own home.
He had to give up his job as he was deemed unfit to work
He lost his future; retirement plans with his wife no longer existed as he would not be here to enjoy his retirement
Mick’s story
He wanted to be as independent as possible, as he knew at some point, that independence would be taken away.
He continued to go out for monthly brunches with his friends and his daughter took him out to buy birthday/ Christmas and anniversary cards for his wife as he still wanted her to have these from him while he had the chance.
Mick’s story
Most people were kind and understanding, but 1 encounter with a cashier changed his positive outlook.
When trying to pay for a card, he gave the cashier his library card. The cashier said it was the wrong card, he put it away and then got the same card out again. The cashier rudely said it was the wrong one and asked for a different one. He got the same card out again and gave it to the cashier. The cashier looked at him and said, “I’ve told you 3 times, we do not accept library cards as payment” and then turned to his daughter and then said, “do you want to help as he clearly has no idea what he is doing”.
His daughter got the right card out and then the cashier said to him “did you want to tap your card, as I’m guessing you can’t remember your pin number”
Mick’s story
How do you think this exchange made Mick feel?
Why do you think the cashier acted the way she did?
The cashier may have been having a bad day, or may have just become frustrated, but the impact of that negative experience was massive on Mick.
He felt embarrassed, humiliated, but mostly sad. He never went out and bought a card for his wife again, and he stopped seeing his friends as he never wanted to feel the way he felt in that shop, and he didn’t want his friends to see him like that.
Had that cashier had a little bit of empathy with him, it would have made a huge difference to him, and he may have continued to see his friends for longer.
Dementia friends
Dementia friends is a programme set up by the Alzheimer's society to help people understand dementia and try and change the way the nation thinks about the disease.
Becoming a dementia friend is easy. There are 7 videos Alzheimer's society recommend watching to understand the disease better and that’s it!!!!!!
Becoming a dementia friend
Next steps…
