Course Title: Provide support to people living with dementia

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2012

Course Code: HWSS5564C

Course Title: Provide support to people living with dementia

School: 365T Global Studies, Soc Sci & Plng

Campus: City Campus

Program: C3260 - Certificate III in Home and Community Care

Course Contact : Susan rRussell

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 99254637

Course Contact Email:susan.russell@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 55

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

Not Applicable

Course Description

This unit describes the knowledge and skills required to support to clients with dementia in a variety of settings including family homes, community day settings and residential care.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

CHCAC319A Provide support to people living with dementia

Element:

Implement self care strategies.

Performance Criteria:

1. Monitor own stress level in relation to working with people with dementia
2. Use appropriate self care strategies and seek support if required

Element:

Implement strategies which minimise the impact of behaviours of concern.

Performance Criteria:

1. Identify behaviours of concern
2. Identify potential triggers for behaviours of concern for specific individuals
3. Contribute to team discussion on care planning and care plan review to minimise behaviours
4. Implement strategies to minimise the likelihood of and reduce the impact of behaviours on the person and others
5. Regularly review strategies that are implemented to ensure maximum effectiveness and reflect changes in the care plan

Element:

Provide appropriate activities to maintain dignity, skills and health of client at optimum level.

Performance Criteria:

1. Provide activities which aim to maintain independence, using familiar routines and existing skills
2. Provide activities that are appropriate to the individual, reflecting their cultural likes and dislikes, in order to bring back pleasurable memories
3. Ensure all activities provided focus on ensuring the safety and comfort of the client balanced with autonomy and risk taking
4. Use purposeful and meaningful activity to enhance self-esteem and pleasure in life, to minimise boredom and to distract from or eliminate behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia
5. Use family carers and significant others as a resource, where appropriate, to assist in developing appropriate activities by accessing information about client reminiscences and routines
6. Provide support and guidance to family carers and significant others where appropriate to assist them to understand the disease, its impact on the person and some approaches to providing care

Element:

Provide support to those affected by dementia.

Performance Criteria:

1. Work with a basic understanding of dementia
2. Support individual needs of people with dementia using a person-centred approach to care and address individual needs for a stable familiar environment
3. Work with awareness of the impact of physical, social and emotional aspects of the environment on the person with dementia
4. Work with awareness of the impacts that dementia may have on family, carers and significant others
5. Recognise witnessed signs consistent with financial, physical or emotional abuse or neglect of the client and report to an appropriate person

Element:

Use communication strategies which take account of the progressive and variable nature of dementia.

Performance Criteria:

1. Use a range of communication strategies to maximise engagement of the person with dementia such as eye contact, gentle touch (where appropriate), short simple statements
2. Gain cooperation and provide reassurance as appropriate to individual clients by using reality orientation including:
• reminders of the day, the time, relationships, occasions
• reassuring words, phrases and body language
3. Use a range of validation strategies to relieve distress and agitation in clients such as:
• Empathy
• Acceptance of the person’s reality
• Acknowledgment
• Allowing expressions of distress
• Providing verbal and/or physical reassurance
• Use reminiscences frequently to connect with clients


Learning Outcomes


The worker will be able to demonstrate the knowledge of the progressive neurological condition of dementia, its common indicators and symptoms. The impact and potential impact of the progression of the dementia on the person with dementia, the family and significant others. They will be able to recognise the relationship between the brain changes and behaviour in the people with dementia along with the specifics of the persons cultural, personal and historical background. The worker will have confidence in recognising the indications of neglect and abuse of those who have dementia. They will be able to practise the principles of person-centred approach to care for those with dementia upholding a high standard of quality care and maintaining dignity. They will acquire the skills in a broad range of communication approaches and establish and maintain a relationship that takes into account client and family individual differences (e.g. cognitive abilities, cultural background, language skills). Their skills will show the ability to adapt activities to meet the individual needs, provide opportunities for enjoyment while demonstrating cultural sensitivities, along with facilitating cooperative behaviour.


Details of Learning Activities

Learners will participate in class room discussions, problem solving within individual and team groups. They will be encouraged to express their concerns and ideas both negative and positive. They will participate in role play scenarios in a simulated environment within the frame work of expected outcomes and discuss the reality of the outcomes via their own/trainers experience with in the appropriate work environment. They will participate in questionnaires, case studies and practical placement. All within the contents of this unit.


Teaching Schedule

The teaching schedule is designed in a time table format, outlining the specific elements linked to specific units that will be taught on the said session and double up as a lesson plan. Scenarios, case studies, questionnaires, role plays, viewing DVDs and class discussions will be designed using the appropriate contents matching up with the performance criteria. As this unit is quite intense it is suggested that all learners attend each session, and is presented in a manner to cater for all individuals own learning strategy.


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References


Other Resources

Learning resources are provided via booklets created to cover the essential information referring to the unit applied and are supplied to all learners attending the program. Updated handouts are also given to all students and frequent face to face discussion re dvd’s that may be viewed.


Overview of Assessment

As in most cases the learner does not have the opportunity to be assessed in a work environment specifically for those living with dementia, assessments of this unit of competency will include observation of processes and procedures, viewing of educational and training DVDs specific for dementia training, realistic simulations, projects, previous relevant experience, oral questioning on "What if?" scenarios, oral and or written questioning on the essential knowledge and skills and consideration of required attitudes. Where performance is not directly observed any evidence of both knowledge and skills will be authenticated by colleagues, supervisors, clients or other appropriate persons.


Assessment Tasks

A leaner must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit. Assessments methods have been designed to achieve the competencies of this unit in a flexible manner and over a range of assessment tasks. Learners will participate in 100 hours of practical placement to demonstrate their essential knowledge and skills to meet the competencies and expected outcomes of this unit. Students will need to complete a practical placement competency matrix, signed and witnessed by the appropriate authorities to ensure the ability to perform their expected tasks meet the criteria of competencies for this unit.


Assessment Matrix

Course Overview: Access Course Overview