The Japanese - symbol of strength and resilience

As we look to Japan many of us wonder how we can help. I wonder if we might better ask what we can learn from this dignified and resilient people?

Stephen Lewis in his keynote address at the Association of Death Education and Counseling conference in Montreal a few years ago, spoke of the grief in war torn countries. He encouraged the bereavement counsellors in the audience to continue in the important work that they do internationally, or to start providing help internationally. He talked of the value of their work.

As I listened to him, I reflected on my dear colleague Andrea Warnick who went Indonesia following the massive earthquake, worked in an orphanage with grieving children, returned home and using their art made calendars to raise money for that orphanage. Though she had worried about being “an extra mouth” I think she made a valuable contribution.

I think about Stephen Lewis encouraging people to volunteer, I think of Andrea and her contribution… but I still reflect on the fact that every person who goes to Japan to “help” is also one more mouth to feed.

I read the papers and listen to the news, and hear of the remarkable resilience of the Japanese people.

And I wonder if we need to worry less about what they can learn from us, and more about what we need to learn from them!

According to John Bradfield "In Japanese culture the Bamboo plant symbolizes strength and resilience and luck and success because of its ability to grow quickly"

I think I will plant bamboo this spring.

Kath


Photo: Arun Kumar Sinhar on Flickr
Photo and quote about the bamboo retrieved March 22,2011 from
http://johnlbradfield.com/environment/japanese-tsunami-and-the-amazing-resilience-of-japanese-people/

Japan - holding a space for caring across the miles

A place of silence,
a place to hold the sorrow and tragedy of the earthquakes/tsunami in Japan,
a place to consider the many who suffer.

It is fitting to look for Haiku that might speak of the sorrow, and with someone's words that are more eloquent than mine, send prayers and thoughts across the miles.


Atsujin

Earth and metal...
although my breathing ceases
time and tide go on.

Tsuchi kane ya
iki wa taete mo
tsukihi ari

Haiku retrieved from: http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/778048

Photo courtesy of Virginia Hayes, Gabriola Island, BC

Person Centered Care - the essence of good dementia care

Dementia Care: “Knowing our life and emotional history is for others the key to unlocking who we are, why we feel the way we do and what influences our actions.” (Christene Gordon, Director of Services, Alzheimers Society of Alberta and NWTs.)

So simple, but the root of what person centered care is about. Considering that most people with dementia die in a facility, how important for the care team to come to “know a resident” before determining plan of care!

Dr. Thomas Hadjistavropoulos and the PACSLAC!

Louis Armstrongs singing "What a wonderful world" is truly one of my "favorite things".
Attending a conference and hearing about good tools, validated by good research, and presented in a manner that makes me want to go home and integrate the work in my practice is another one of my "favorite things".

At the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba annual conference this week I was privileged to hear Dr. Thomas Hadjistavropoulos from the University of Regina Department of Psychology and Centre on Aging and Health speak about pain assessment in the elderly. He presented a pain assessment tool called the Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC). You can access the tool at: http://www.rgpc.ca/best/PAIN%20Best%20Practices%20-%20ML%20Vanderhorst%20%28June%2007%29/PACSLAC.pdf
If you want to use the tool, you simply write Dr. Thomas at the email provided for permission and guidelines.

Kath

Harmony: Dementia Care and Hospice Palliative Care

In June of 2006 Fiona Sudbury the Director of Care at Broadmead Lodge in Victoria asked me to help them prepare a course on "Dying with Dementia". I remember well saying to Fiona that the gerontology community, the hospice palliative care community, and I personally were not ready to write that course. After a few months, another phone call with Fiona, and a day in my favorite library at Hood College.... I started to research the topic.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that best practice in dementia care was in harmony with best practice in hospice palliative care! We started working the next month!

It was my privilege to work with Janice Robinson, Al Vandergoot and the incredible team at Broadmead, to develop their education program "The Dementia Difference: A palliative approach for people dying with late stage dementia." (See references below for two articles published in Journal of Palliative Care reviewing the program and the preliminary outcomes.)

Working with the caregivers and staff at Broadmead Lodge was significant in my professional growth. I was blessed by the cross-pollination of ideas. I was inspired by the expertise of caregivers who were highly skilled and extremely dedicated to excellent care for people with dementia.

Since that time, I have taught a few sessions titled "Dying with Dementia", highlighting the research on best practice in caring for people with late stage dementia. This past week I was honoured to present at the annual conference of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba. Once again I was impressed by the excellence and committment of individuals involved in dementia care and education.

Caregivers who attended the workshop were thrilled to learn more about a palliative approach in caregiving.
One theme that seems to emerge routinely, "We provide excellent care following admission, we give great care in the last hours, but it is in the weeks before death, when we are less able to determine when death will occur, that we struggle to provide the best care."

It is clear that people desire more information, and desire practical information.

Two favorite resources include Bern Klug on the "Ambiguous Dying Syndrome" and Volicer's artcile which he did for the Alzheimer's Association of Florida. BernKlug does a great job of identifying how difficult it is to die with chronic disease when death is certain, but at an uncertain time. Volicer does an incredible job of pulling together research on best practice in end stage dementia. After all the hunting I did for research, his one article seemed to summarize everything else that I found.

When I wrote the text "Essentials in Hospice Palliative Care" it was my desire to provide a section linking HPC and Dementia Care. I appreciate input on this topic, please feel free to write.

All the best to you in caregiving!
Kath

Bern-Klug, M., (2004), The Ambiguous Dying Syndrome, Health & Social Work, (29:1/2004; 55-65).

Volicer, L., (2005), End-of-life care for people with dementia in residential care settings, Alzheimer’s Association.

And....of course, the articles about the "Dementia Difference" course at Broadmead Lodge:

Gnaedinger, Nancy, Murray, Katherine, Robinson, Janice, “Preliminary Outcomes of “The Dementia Difference” workshop at The Lodge at Broadmead, Victoria BC”, Journal of Palliative Care, (26:2/2010; 130-133).

Gnaedinger, Nancy, Murray, Katherine, Robinson, Janice, The dementia difference: A palliative approach for people dying with late-stage dementia. Journal of Palliative Care, (24:4/2008; 274-276).

LDMonline - participants from communities across the globe!

I just reviewed the lists of registrants from the online courses that were offered by LDMonline in the past few months. At this moment in time, most course participants live in relatively isolated and small communities across Canada! The other participants live in NEPAL, Australia, USA and Denmark. The nurses from Nepal work with hospice organizations that are "twinning" with a hospice in Canada. (See www.onehospice.com).

I love education, I love learning, and there is something quite wonderful about seeing people access "online" education who might be less likely to attend "onsite" education.

Kath