Residential care centers Haaglanden (WZH) Transvaal in The Hague is a small-scale residential care location for elderly people with dementia. Together with the psychologist, the doctor and the healthcare staff, Manon regularly discusses the behavior of the residents in the various living rooms. This takes place during the so-called ‘contact consultation’.
misunderstood behavior
‘We pay a lot of attention to misunderstood behaviour’, says Manon. ‘We regularly check with all our residents to see how things are going and what can be improved. And whether the problem really exists. Does the behavior occur more often or only occasionally? Sometimes certain behavior is just part of it. We don’t want to make things bigger than they are. That’s why we also look closely at the situation in which things happen.’
Want to know more about problem behavior? Watch this video.
Looking beyond disciplines
‘When it comes to misunderstood behaviour, we always look at the bigger picture.’
WZH’s contact consultations are not unique, says Manon. ‘What is unique is that we always look at the bigger picture. Collaborating with different disciplines is very important. This means that as nurses and carers, together with our dance therapists, movement educators and psychologists, we look at which interventions we can do for someone. In this we learn from each other. We look beyond our own disciplines and locations.’
From apathetic resident to swinging DJ
‘A good example is an intervention we performed on a resident with Parkinson’s disease. Partly because of corona, he was apathetic and depressed. We then looked together at what gave him pleasure in life. This man had always been a radio DJ. We arranged equipment and designed a logo and jingle for him. Now he regularly plays music at the daycare and at parties here. He has his life back and feels like a worthy person again.’
Methodical approach is necessary
A good, methodical approach when dealing with problem behavior is really necessary, according to Manon. ‘In the past I would have liked an approach like this. Often it was not clear to residents what exactly was going on. There was simply a lack of proper analysis of the situation. And then you don’t really know what next steps to take.’ Manon emphasizes: ‘Go test, try it out and celebrate the small successes. But also remember to always evaluate every step you take. Only then will you progress.’
Methods at a glance
Curious about methods for dealing with misunderstood behaviour? We have selected a number of methods for you in the Dementia theme.
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Report misunderstood behavior
‘At WZH we work with ‘behaviour circles’ to map out the behavior of our residents properly,’ explains Manon. ‘You make a description of the behavior you see and you work with colors and codes. So that you can also see clearly what you and your colleagues observe and also: what does help and what doesn’t? This way you can really assess whether adjustments work. I guide my colleagues in this together with a psychologist.’
‘Go test, try it out and keep evaluating.’
According to Manon, this shows that certain behavior of a resident with dementia should never be considered normal. ‘By continuing to report it, you keep looking for improvement. But even if you are specialized, you will not always immediately know the right answer.’
Four areas of attention for misunderstood behavior
The fact that choosing a clear method helps to deal with misunderstood behavior is also apparent from the research that Vilans conducted into this. It discussed what is needed by care organizations to respond effectively to misunderstood behaviour. Four important areas for attention emerge from the research. Knowing more? Read about the research on the Vilans website.
Do you want to discuss what it takes to deal with misunderstood behavior within your team? Then use a handy discussion board.
Download the discussion board about dealing with misunderstood behavior on the Vilans website