A whole day to work ... in the dementia ward

TerryJ2

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I painted today. Woo hoo! It was great to work again. I'm still in pain with-sciatica and a pulled hamstring but I can function.

I've been hired to paint hallway doors in the dementia unit of a retirement community. Patients/renters ignore the signs that say "Stop!" and they set off the alarm. The staff came up with-the idea to paint faux bookshelves on the doors to disguise them.
That's where I come in.

What does it say about my life when I actually enjoy painting, being surrounded by dementia patients?:capitulate:
 
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HaoZi

Guest
That's a neat idea! Glad you're enjoying helping to keep them safe from themselves. ;)
 
gcvmom

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Awesome! That's the sign of a true artist... doesn't matter where, doesn't matter when, just so long as you get to exercise your craft! :bigsmile:
 
Hound dog

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Actually that was a very creative idea they came up with! I guess I'm odd...........I don't mind working with dementia patients, sometimes it's much easier than your average patient. lol And it's never boring.
 
donna723

donna723

Well-Known Member
That is a very clever solution that they came up with! I don't think I would ever have the patience for it but my daughter worked with dementia and alzheimers patients and was really good at it. She worked as an aid in a nursing home for two years before she started nursing school and got really attached to a lot of the patients there. One ladys' family didn't think she could talk anymore until they saw her talking to Allison - she was the only one she would talk to! And now her husbands grandmother is in the same shape and she is so good with her!
 
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HaoZi

Guest
Pretty much the same skill set as parenting difficult children, isn't it? And the knowledge (like grandparents) that you don't have to deal with them 24/7 and be totally responsible for them all by your lonesome.
 
S

susiestar

Roll With It
Sounds like a fabulous solution to a thorny problem! I remember reading about a retirement home that had elderly patients who kept trying to go to various places on the bus. The bus stop was several blocks away and often the elderly people would get lost long before they got to the bus stop. As a solution the home made a "bus stop" complete with bench and sign right outside the main doors. Every hour or so a staff member would go out and bring whoever was out there back in.

I am sure your bookshelves will look very realistic and attractive. They are lucky to get you to create them!
 
donna723

donna723

Well-Known Member
A lot of the old people at the nursing home where my daughter worked would try to leave too, they'd just decide they wanted to go home and they'd take out walking. They had an alarm that would go off when the doors were opened but they were sharp enough to wait till shift change and try to follow out behind the employees who were leaving for the day.
 
DDD

DDD

Well-Known Member
I'm always amazed at the variety of capabilities in our society. Those who happily work with patients in need are a perfect example of what is right in our society. Clever and caring...you're just what the Doctor ordeed. Hugs DDD
 
DammitJanet

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
That idea about the bookshelves or any other household item such as a fireplace or even stacks of boxes sitting there is something that is recommended by the alzheimers association for caregivers who have wanderers. Supposedly there are places online that you can buy sheets that roll down from the ceiling that look like these items. I never could afford them though. We just made my back door so my mom couldnt reach it and got child locks on my front door. Im sure your paintings though will be even better than a pull down sheet. They wont move.
 
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Nancy

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a very good idea. I will be anxious to hear if it works. How nice that they actually try to do something helpful for the residents.

Lol 3S.

Nancy
 
DammitJanet

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
LOL Terry...Im sure they got the idea from this...

I literally hung xmas paper over my fridge in hopes that my mom would stay out.

I had a harder time baby-proofing my house for my mother than I ever did with real toddlers. I mean seriously, who thinks that you have to hide the trashcan from a 5'5" tall toddler who is gonna go digging in it to eat the banana peelings and coffee grinds. Ugh! This in the middle of the night when you think she is asleep.
 
timer lady

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
Terry, in my early days in Seattle I worked an Alzheimer's unit (to pay for college) ~ graveyard shift. There were all sorts of murals & such to help the residents from wandering.

I think it's so cool this job came along for you.
 
DammitJanet

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
TM....they try, but they have such short attention spans, that caregivers can redirect them and hand them a book and they forget. That is one helpful aspect to the disease.
 
TerryJ2

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Take a book off the shelf? I wondered the same thing! LOL!
But knowing how short their attention spans are, as Janet pointed out, is helpful. My dad has Alzheimer's, and he is sharp one day, agitated the next, sleepy the next, alert the next, it's never the same two days in a row. So if a resident does try to grab a book, chances are they won't remember it long enough to tell another patient, or to remember it themselves.

So did the Christmas paper keep your mom out of the fridge?
 
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