We had decided that prior to anybody attending the day service it was our duty to find out who they are. When I say who they are I mean literally that- Not looking at the diagnosis or how someone’s symptoms present outwardly but looking at the person they are. The individual who, like you now, has worked, loved, raised a family, had a career, enjoyed seafood, kissed in a corner, drank champagne and got tipsy, given birth, drank tea but couldn’t abide coffee. They are who we get to know, not a diagnosis that threatens the stigma of taking away every single thing that makes them who they are. We look at the person, not the diagnosis and we treat them as the individual they are, not a statistic. Tell me honestly, do you think anybody can be cared for effectively if the caregiver does not know WHO they are caring for. Too many carers look at the ‘What’ not the who.
We trained our team differently.
Life stories were an absolute must, we wanted to know EVERYTHING. What were your favourite memories from your childhood, how did you meet your husband, whats the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
These are things we can talk about and reminisce with our clients, bring back those amazing memories and promote feelings of happiness and wellbeing. Our clients certainly weren’t going to come to our service to sit in a chair, we were going to spend the days doing the things that they have always enjoyed and what makes them the person they are……
