3. Person-centred care

Before we start looking at the Later Stages of Dementia Care in detail, we need to look at our Philosophy of Care

What do we mean by Care? What is our attitude to caring, and to a person who needs care?

In The Alzheimer Society of Ireland we believe in 'Person Centred Care'. Person centred care is a concept that recognises the needs and perspectives of the person with dementia as being important.

“Person-centredness is an approach to practice established through the formation and fostering of healthful relationships between all care providers, service users and others significant to them in their lives. It is underpinned by values of respect for persons (personhood), individual right to self determination, mutual respect and understanding. It is enabled by cultures of empowerment that foster continuous approaches to practice development” Mc Cormack & McCance (2016).

The image demonstrates that person centred-care promotes positive well-being, honours choice, enhances dignity, empowers the person with dementia, improves quality of life and supports independence.

Here are two links to help you explore notions of person-centred care.

HSE: Person and Family Enagement

HSE: What matters to you? A quality improvement initiative to enhance compassionate person-centred care

Person centeredness is about everybody and for everybody. 

It is about understanding each other. 

It is about respecting each other. Here is a link to the This is Me booklet produced by The Alzheimer Society UK. It allows you to record and document some of the characteristics and personality of the person you are caring for. This can be very useful if he or she needs to go to a Day Care Centre, hospital or to another place where your loved one is not known.

It is about recognising each other.

It is about a sharing and coming together.