Listening, is how you keep people at the centre of services. Once people are listened to and then understood then the theories can be written, not the other way around.
Thank you for what you have written, my poor cognition, since the start of my own symptoms makes it difficult to follow but in my view the Professionals are making life more difficult for themselves and those they care for with theories.. The others, who are forced to work to a tick box computer screen make me feel less of a person, individual, make me angry and frustrated.
.
I totally agree with Sue J-and that's from a Carers point of view. When my late Husband needed help I came face to face with people who ticked boxes and did little else. I didn't need theories -I needed practical help. Whether Pete had a syndrome or a diagnosis wouldn't have mattered. I needed professionals to LISTEN. I also needed professionals to BELIEVE me when I said that my poor Husband was violent. (they did eventually as he violently attacked so many people). I digress-
''The theories that we have thought about is the social model of disability, which basically sees society as disabling people and not the person. So looking at ways of how to make it people friendly for people who have dementia and also looking at disengagement theory again how society may have made people feel that they need to isolate themselves from society and what ways we can prevent people from disengaging or feeling isolated.''
Re your theory
(bolded above) Up to a certain point whilst Society may go some way to disable a Dementia sufferer-it's the actual Dementia that slowly isolates both sufferer and Carer. I don't think that people disengage themselves knowingly but the disease
can get to a certain point when due to possible behaviour problems and physical difficulties engaging in society is very difficult. My OH didn't even want to go out; you see he was scared of the 'bad people who were out to get him' and noise and a whole list of things he couldn't understand anymore. So, however much 'prevention' is talked about, in practice (at least in Pete's case) nothing would have helped him. He was lost in his own world and I'm afraid theories and models of isolation would have been lost on him-me too! All I ever wanted was HELP (bathing etc) and a sympathetic ear from professionals who had experience of the demands of Dementia.
SueJ is quite correct when she states that 'when you have seen one person with Dementia. you have seen one person with dementia'. It's never 'one size fits all'-so I don't know how sufferers can be pigeon holed into one working model.
' I think it is important from a professional point of view to understand the difference especially when discussing with someone who has dementia and to also show that you have knowledge around it (I am sure you would not want someone turning up who has no knowledge).'
Re your statement (
my Bolding). Does Dementia need a 'label' as such? Whether a professional calls Dementia a 'syndrome' or a 'diagnosis' bears no weight with me. It certainly wouldn't indicate to me that the person had 'knowledge'- and such 'jargon' can be slightly irritating. Much more important would be a person who really has hands on experience with Dementia and can understand the emotional trauma that this terrible disease can bring to sufferers, their families and Carers.
As always, just my opinion.
Lyn T
