OKLAHOMA CITY: While research into prevention and cure is ongoing, much of this knowledge is not reaching those who provide day-to-day care. Many health and social care professionals lack training in dementia and sometimes well-meaning actions cause unintended distress.
Ritual and routine get in the way of providing imaginative dementia care. A structured program of sensory activities that aims to ensure skilled nursing home residents with advanced dementia enjoy the best quality of life is available. But an important part of the program is touch. However, a research report noted that staff had a problem relinquishing their gloves to provide the ‘loving touch’ that is integral to this approach…