The more time I spend with my companions living with dementia, the more I get to watch them act out their own dementia script.  And when we give them this opportunity, we give them a gift. THIS is what good dementia care looks like.  

The key is that they have to be living in an environment that understands their dementia; an environment that supports their cognitive losses and capitalizes on their cognitive strengths.  An environment that understands that the loss of cognitive skills opens the door to emotional needs.  And that when we meet those emotional needs, our friends with dementia get to write their own script for how they will journey through dementia.

So how do we allow this process to unfold this way, the right way, when dementia is part of the picture?

The most important part is how we set up the environment.  Not so much the physical environment (though there are elements of the physical environment that are really important), but the environment as far as how it affects, contributes to, or challenges, one’s emotional well-being.

And how do we learn how to set up the environment this way, where we tend to the emotional needs created by the cognitive losses of dementia?  Well, it’s not rocket science, but it does require intention and skill and investment.  But as Judy Cornish, Founder of the DAWN Method says often on her DAWN Method Instagram posts, “we believe that families can provide excellent dementia care at home.”  And, “There is hope in dementia; it lies in the way we provide care.”  

And therein lies the first step in learning how to get it right with dementia….begin to study the DAWN Method.  This is where my team and I began, too.  Every day, we create dementia-safe space for folks to write their own scripts for how they wish to proceed through the dementia journey.  

Doesn’t It make sense that all of us would wish for the same?  We all want to have the freedom to live out our lives the way we choose; to have a sense of independence and autonomy, a sense of control over our lives and a sense of meaning.  This wish does not change just because our cognitive skills fail.  

The Better People Care team will continue to skillfully open up the dementia-specialist space for folks to write their own scripts for how their dementia journey will proceed.  It is an honor, and often beautiful to witness.  

With gratitude,

Jill

©Jill Couch