Removing Dementia Sufferers from Their Familiar Surroundings
In the ever-evolving landscape of medicine and technology, dementia patients are increasingly capable of living autonomously. However, one challenge that remains is the distress and disorientation experienced during relocation, often referred to as Transfer Trauma.
Transfer Trauma, a term coined by Tracy Greene Mintz, a dementia care worker from Redondo Beach, California, can lead to increased agitation, confusion, anxiety, and behavioral disturbances in dementia patients. This trauma occurs due to the sudden change in environment, loss of familiar surroundings, and disruption of established routines.
To alleviate Transfer Trauma and make the relocation smoother for dementia patients, caregivers and care facilities can employ several strategies. These include preparation and communication, familiarization with the new environment, maintaining routine and control, specialized staff training, interdisciplinary holistic care, family involvement and support, and the use of calming and redirection techniques.
Preparation and communication involve gradually preparing the person with dementia for the move by discussing the change multiple times in a calm and reassuring manner. Using simple language and visual aids can help reduce anxiety. Familiarization with the new environment can be achieved by spending time with the patient in the new environment before or soon after the move, allowing personal belongings and familiar items to be present in their new room.
Maintaining routine and control supports a person's feeling of control and reduces disorientation. Preserving daily routines and involving the person in decisions, where possible, can help ease the transition. Specialized staff training ensures that memory care staff are equipped with dementia care techniques to handle agitation, anxiety, and aggression.
Interdisciplinary holistic care involves engaging multiple disciplines (nursing, social work, therapy services) to ensure a comprehensive approach that addresses physical, emotional, and cognitive needs, facilitating better adaptation post-transfer. Family involvement and support provide emotional support and continuity, easing both the patient's and caregivers' stress.
Understanding the concept of lived space is crucial for creating a better living environment for dementia-affected individuals. Lived space refers to the space we feel around us, including walls, objects, and air. It is important to redesign the living space (aka the new home) to cater to a dementia patient's unique needs before relocating them.
Respecting the privacy of a dementia patient while also making it easy for them to find others to socialize with is essential. Safety and security in the new home can be ensured by keeping doors locked, keeping the floor dry, and keeping medicines in a safe cabinet. Preparing the new home for a dementia patient involves creating an air of familiarity, focusing on safety and security, and keeping the structure simple.
Keeping the structure of the home simple makes wayfinding easy and effort-free for a dementia patient. Transfer Trauma occurs in older adults a few days after moving from their private residence to a long-term care facility such as a nursing home. Symptoms of Transfer Trauma include anxiety, depression, loneliness, screaming, irritability, complaining, and exhibiting difficult behavior.
To create an air of familiarity, one can carry some older items, maintain the same wall color and texture, and place objects in the same area of the room as the previous home. It is recommended to ask a dementia patient about their preferences regarding the design and makeup of their room.
While detailed guidelines specifically identifying "Transfer Trauma" as a clinical term in dementia are limited, the overall understanding aligns with known principles of minimizing distress during care transitions for cognitively impaired individuals. The concept of lived space and lived experience is key for caregivers and was mentioned in the works of Henri Lefebvre, a French Marxist philosopher and sociologist. Max Van Manen, a Canadian phenomenological researcher, further studied the concept of lived space and lived experience.
In summary, Transfer Trauma impacts dementia patients by increasing confusion and distress during relocation, and a combination of preparation, familiarization, routine maintenance, specialized care, interdisciplinary support, and family involvement are key strategies to ease this process. Understanding and addressing Transfer Trauma is crucial for creating a better living environment and care experience for dementia patients.
- The distress and disorientation experienced during relocation in dementia patients is often referred to as Transfer Trauma, a term coined by Tracy Greene Mintz, a dementia care worker.
- Transfer Trauma can lead to increased agitation, confusion, anxiety, and behavioral disturbances in dementia patients due to sudden changes in environment, loss of familiar surroundings, and disruption of established routines.
- To alleviate Transfer Trauma, caregivers and care facilities can employ strategies such as preparation and communication, familiarization with the new environment, maintaining routine and control, specialized staff training, interdisciplinary holistic care, family involvement, and the use of calming and redirection techniques.
- Preparation and communication involve gradually preparing the person with dementia for the move by discussing the change multiple times in a calm and reassuring manner using simple language and visual aids.
- Familiarization with the new environment can be achieved by spending time with the patient in the new environment before or soon after the move, allowing personal belongings and familiar items to be present in their new room.
- Maintaining routine and control supports a person's feeling of control and reduces disorientation by preserving daily routines and involving the person in decisions.
- Specialized staff training ensures that memory care staff are equipped with dementia care techniques to handle agitation, anxiety, and aggression.
- Interdisciplinary holistic care involves engaging multiple disciplines (nursing, social work, therapy services) to ensure a comprehensive approach that addresses physical, emotional, and cognitive needs, facilitating better adaptation post-transfer.
- Family involvement and support provide emotional support and continuity, easing both the patient's and caregivers' stress.
- Understanding the concept of lived space is crucial for creating a better living environment for dementia-affected individuals by redesigning the living space to cater to a dementia patient's unique needs before relocating them.
- Respecting the privacy of a dementia patient while also making it easy for them to find others to socialize with is essential, and safety and security in the new home can be ensured by keeping doors locked, keeping the floor dry, and keeping medicines in a safe cabinet.
- While detailed guidelines specifically identifying "Transfer Trauma" as a clinical term in dementia are limited, the overall understanding aligns with known principles of minimizing distress during care transitions for cognitively impaired individuals, as mentioned in the works of Henri Lefebvre and Max Van Manen.
- To create a better living environment and care experience for dementia patients, it is crucial to address and understand Transfer Trauma and its impact on older adults moving from their private residence to a long-term care facility such as a nursing home.
