Reflective Account On Dementia

Description of event
Today in placement I was asked if I would be able to assist Mrs X with personal care and dressing. Mrs X has advanced dementia and takes a lot of prompting to do simple tasks on her own, such as washing her face. Mrs X is fully mobile and needs a lot of support to hold her concentration on particular tasks or she is more likely to be distracted and wander off. Being aware of Mrs X’s needs I agreed that I am more than confident to assist her. I knocked on Mrs X’s door before entering, and went in. I explained to Mrs X that I was there to help her with her daily routine on waking. Mrs X appeared to be happy with me being there, and was talking away to me like she had known me for years, but most of her sentences did not make
sense, I tried to answer as best I could. I managed to get Mrs X to help pick out what she was wanting to wear that day. I had to give a lot of direction and support as some things were not appropriate for her to wear. Mrs X took a lot of prompting whilst getting washed and she kept turning off the water taps, I had to remind Mrs X that the water was running to warm up so she could wash herself. After taking my time and being patient with Mrs X, I managed to help her to wash and put fresh clothes on, I asked Mrs X if she would like to wear her lipstick, and have nice perfume on. Mrs X replied by telling me that wasn’t perfume it was for the dog. So Mrs X was more than happy to have her lipstick on and her hair brushed before she went to breakfast.
Feelings and Thoughts
I was confident with assisting Mrs X, as I had done it before as my placement is where I work. I was aware that Mrs X’s confusions may lead her to become agitated, so I made myself familiar with de-escalation techniques to enable me to minimise the risk of Mrs X becoming agitated. During the time of assisting Mrs X, I was thinking about am I patient enough or am I going to quick for Mrs X, as I didn’t want to upset her. Mrs X was happy with me helping her as she was smiling and talking away to me from the minute I walked in her room.
Evaluation
The experience was good as it helps me to develop my awareness on dementia and possible behaviours that tend to be associated with the illness.
Also it was good for Mrs X to help pick what she was wanting to wear that day, even though she needed prompting and support, it was still what she wanted. With being patient with Mrs X whilst she was being assisted helped to promote her independence which I believe is very important.
Analysis
I believe that because of taking the time and promoting Mrs X’s independence helped to keep her calm and relaxed. Also by answering what Mrs X was saying to me helped, even though it was hard to understand what Mrs X was talking about, it would have made her feel happy that she has someone to talk to. I think that if Mrs X was ignored or rushed I would have made her feel confused and agitated, so I am glad I was able to be calm and patient with her.
Conclusion
I feel I wouldn’t do anything differently as I took Mrs X’s needs into consideration and was able to be patient and treat her as an individual. I would have tried to stimulate Mrs X’s concentration more possibly by trying to keep her focused on one task at a time and remove anything that may distract Mrs X.
Action
Plan
If I was to do this again I would be doing the same thing, be patient and supportive and take into consideration of individual needs.

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References
Jasper, M. (2003). Gibbs reflective cycle. Available: http://www.ulh.nhs.uk/for_staff/education_and_training/clinical_education/leadership_in_practice/documents/gibbs_reflective_cycle.pdf. Last accessed 06th February 2014.