Ms Jana Havlis1, Ms Shivani Patel1
1Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Australia
Biography:
Jana Havlis is a senior speech pathologist at Lyell McEwin Hospital, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network. She has over 10 years experience in adult acute dysphagia and communication disorders. More recently has gained experience with managing communication disorders and dysphagia with consumers within older persons mental health and forensic health.
Abstract:
The Northgate Neuro-Behavioural Unit (NBU), in South Australia, provides specialised care to consumers living with advanced dementia exhibiting extreme behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD) that cannot be managed in mainstream residential care. The unit’s model of care places the consumer at the centre of their treatment, working closely with families and carers throughout the consumer’s journey.
Recognising the potential value of a comprehensive written and visual resource about consumers’ life stories, it was hypothesised that such a tool would benefit consumers, families, and staff. Given the transitional nature of the facility, this resource could also easily accompany consumers to other care settings. Consequently, to address this need, a quality improvement project was undertaken to develop the resource called ‘book about me’. The aim of the project was to increase opportunities for interactions with consumers’ life stories, enhance staff knowledge of consumers’ backgrounds and identities, improve staff understanding of strategies for managing challenging behaviours, and positively influence consumers’ mood and behaviour through the use of the resource.
The Occupational Therapist and Speech Pathologist liaised with key stakeholders to compile the necessary information. Various stakeholders contributed different aspects, including family and lifestyle history, as well as current strategies for managing challenging behaviours.
Following the implementation of the ‘book about me’ resource, an evaluation of the project’s objectives is currently underway. This evaluation will assess if the resource achieves its intended goals and improves care for consumers with advanced dementia in the NBU.