Article source: Arbor Village (Methodist Homes for the Aged)
Arbor Village has invested in a number of specialised, person-centred equipment solutions to continue providing high quality care within a supporting, dignified and homely environment in a bid to further enhance both the physical and mental wellbeing of their Dementia residents.
In the 2011 South African census, it was recorded that approximately 2.2 million people in the country are living with some form of Dementia and furthermore, every 68 seconds someone develops Alzheimer’s Disease, which is the most common form of Dementia. “These are indeed sobering statistics,” says Denise Stanton, Manager at Arbor Village. “And as the Dementia numbers rise, so too does the need for care and support. To meet this ever-growing demand, we took a decision in 2007 to expand our Care Centre where, alongside mid and frail care, we established a safe and well-structured care environment to offer specialised care for residents living with Alzheimer’s and other Dementia-causing diseases.”
“Although it is a progressive and degenerative disease, early diagnosis and proper treatment can significantly slow down Dementia and help to extend quality of life. Our tightly knit team of experienced, professional, highly trained and compassionate nurses and care workers are dedicated to attending to our Dementia residents’ every need around the clock,” notes Denise.
Arbor Village staff is well-trained in the Eden Alternative Philosophy which promotes reduced pharmacological treatment by finding non-pharma alternative approaches. A very large part of Dementia care is the creation of a calm, soothing environment combined with sensory stimulation to help residents who are feeling agitated so that they can achieve a relaxed state. “Our holistic quality care includes both these approaches,” states Arbor Nursing Manager, Glenda Olwage. “When Arjo introduced us to the Wellness Nordic Relax chair during a visit to their Samrand show room, we immediately recognised the tremendous value that this chair, as a non-pharma solution, will add to our Dementia residents’ lives and we installed the chair in our sensory room in June 2020.”
Doreen Cwati and Andrew Tsegula, Recreational Coordinators at Arbor Village, who work closely with the Dementia residents, confirm that despite Covid restrictions preventing residents from enjoying the full benefits, they are seeing significant improvements in a very short period of time using this therapeutic chair. “Moreover, these positive effects are long-lasting with residents continuing to experience the benefits of the treatment hours, and often days after using the chair and needing little to no medication.”
Doreen and Andrew are also encouraged by the fact that the Dementia residents’ families can see the improvement in their loved ones too. “As our strict Covid protocols do not permit visitors, we often send videos to the families who have been so excited to see the difference in their loved-ones following a session in this life-changing chair.” They add that the Nordic chair is user-friendly, simple and easy to use, requiring only one person to lift a resident safely in and out, while navigating between the different programmes using a wireless remote.
The chair has different music settings as well as a rocking action and a gentle massage vibration that can be programmed to address sleepiness, activeness and restlessness associated with Dementia. Each of the three 20-minute programmes helps these symptoms in a different way. The relaxing function combines softer music with a slower rocking action which helps to soothe restless or active residents. This keeps residents calm and prevents them from getting agitated before bath time, for example, thereby avoiding possible injury to the resident or carer. The refresh function is ideal for sleepy residents, offering a more upbeat music setting and a more active rocking motion. “We use the third setting which has only a rocking action for those residents who do not enjoy the music,” explain Doreen and Andrew. Once seated in the chair, the residents are covered with a weighted 2.3kg blanket and a U-cushion is placed on their lap. The weighted blanket provides a comfortable safe feeling while the residents can touch and feel the cushion. “This combination feels just like a comforting hug and is particularly soothing to our residents,” add Doreen and Andrew.
“The chair also has an auxiliary port which allows us to play different music, giving the resident a closer connection with songs or genres that they can identify with, evoking deep-seated memories and helping to stimulate consciousness,” notes Glenda. “This aligns with the UK-developed ‘playlist for life’ concept.” According to Glenda, Dr. Ryan Fuller, (Specialist Psycho-geriatrician at Memory Care Group), who consults at Arbor Village, has also given the chair his seal of approval as he has observed its positive effects on the residents and the need for less medication to reach a calm, relaxed state.
While caring for a resident with Dementia can be incredibly rewarding, it can also be very demanding. The comfort and safety of the Arbor care team is therefore extremely important. “We firmly believe that the provision of good equipment improves the team’s working environment and enables them to seamlessly attend to critical tasks, leaving more time for quality resident interactions,” continues Glenda. “Impressed with Arjo’s offerings, we invested in a number of their other specialised Dementia care equipment solutions, including ergonomic electric beds, pressure-reducing mattresses, friction-reducing transfer sheets as well as standing and raising aids. This equipment all helps to facilitate safe, smooth care routines for our staff so that they can offer high quality and professional care and ensure the physical and mental well-being of our Dementia residents, improving their quality of life as well as protecting our staff from potential injuries caused by manual handling while on duty.
All Arbor Village Care Centre beds were recently upgraded to multi-functional Arjo beds with convenient features controlled by an easy-to-use remote, including Trendelenburg/Reverse Trendelenburg tilt, variable height, a knee-break, and the ability to lift the back rest. The mobility of Dementia residents is often compromised and as mobilisation is extremely important, impacting both body and mind, Arbor Village purchased an Arjo Standing and Raising Aid (SARA® Stedy). This Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) accredited device helps to raise residents safely from a bed, chair or wheelchair. Assisting those residents who are otherwise constantly seated or doubled up into a standing position, helps them to be more active, strengthens them physically and, equally important, enhances their mental state. “Our sensory room further ads to our residents’ quality of life and includes different colours, textures and special lighting to help stimulate their senses in a calm atmosphere,” adds Denise.
In closing, Denise affirms that, “Arbor Village will continue to invest in our Dementia care facilities and equipment so that we are able to sustainably offer only the very best care with all the respect and dignity that our residents deserve.”
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Date published: 20/08/2021
Feature image: Supplied by Arbor Village (Methodist Homes for the Aged)
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