Scenario 3: Walk about and wandering
Scenario takeaway
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The PRO is also designed for you to be able to search and share the relevant solutions to meet your client and carer’s needs in an instant.
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This allows you to answer questions or address issues on the spot reducing the chances of loss to follow-up, especially for changed behaviours and daily challenges which can be common in dementia (e.g. challenges with wandering, repetition, personal hygiene, sleeping related challenges, hallucination etc).
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It’s important to try to “prevent” or minimise the chance of this happening, rather than dealing with it after it has happened. This is a key reason why we encourage learning the content.
Tasks to complete
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Think of a specific question or challenge that a client or carer has asked you, such as “refusing to see a doctor”, “validation therapy”, “refuse to get dressed”, “hallucination”, etc.
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Click on the “All info” tab. In the search bar, type in a few key words relating to the question, e.g. “refusing doctor”, “sundowning”, “repetitive phone calls”, “validation therapy”, “refuse dressing”, “hallucination” etc.
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Click on the Section to view the information within, including videos, tips, suggestions and more.
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Have a conversation with the client or carer about the information, and if relevant, share it with them via the PRO.
Scenario notes
A direct care worker contacts you regarding their client (Alice) who is walking about (wandering) and constantly needing to leave the home. This is causing significant distress to both your care worker and the family carer, John.
How would you respond? Have you had questions like this before during your day-to-day practice? What video or resources would you refer to them?
How to search?
In the search bar, you can type in keywords such as “wandering” or “exit home” and the relevant results will be displayed, including:
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Suggestions from experts and dementia specific organisations
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Carer and Professional Tips
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Additional professional specific resources, suggestions and training etc
Learning ahead and prevent
It is important to reiterate with your clients to “learn ahead”, identify risks or triggers in the first place, so we can reduce the severity or prevent the wandering. This also applies to all other forms of daily challenges.
This is another key reason why everyone we all should build our knowledge and learn the content within PRO.
Other daily challenges and changes
Daily challenges and changes have also be referred to as "Changed behaviours", “Responsive behaviours”, “Challenging behaviours”, “Behaviours of concern”, or “Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)”.
This is an area that we are continuously building on. You can view them near the bottom of the “All info” or search for them, e.g. sleeping difficulties, challenges with eating, repetition, wandering, challenges with personal hygiene, aggression, hallucination, etc.
Note
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The scenarios do not cover all of the content in My Dementia Companion, nor all the ways it could be used. Please keep exploring!
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All the information is curated from reputable sources that are designed for people like Jane and Bill. So, assess and if relevant, share with confidence!
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Handy user tips include: why learn dementia care, shortcuts/app icons, adding us to safe sender list, registration tips, sharing, extra tips and tricks
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Contact us if you have any questions via the “Questions?” button or the chat icon within the tool, email us or sms/call us 0406 257 729 during business hours.