Supporting older people living with dementia in a

Tablet technology –
Supporting older people living
with dementia in a respite setting
Presenter: Ben Gatehouse
Position: Dementia Consultant
Snapshot
Aspiration - Older People Living Well
Metropolitan and Regional Victoria:
8 residential homes with over 700 approved places
48 managed living units
1,546 Home care packages: Level 1 – Level 4
240,000+++ hours of in home support services including
personal care, home care and respite
212,000+ hours of respite care per annum
1,300 staff
400+ volunteers
Respite
Macleod Cottage – NRCP funded
Highly flexible day and overnight respite, 7 days a week
Small homelike “residential cottage” for up to 12 clients per
day and 5 clients overnight
Focus on providing a respite environment which is “a home
away from home”
Staff with a “can do” attitude
Tablet technology
Commenced using tablet technology in 2014
All clients at different stages of dementia were eligible to
participate / engage with the tablet
The aim of tablet use was to improve the quality of life of
residents and to prevent / manage any complex behaviors
Where necessary family member / N.O.K consent was
obtained
Information was gathered on each client who accessed the
tablet
Background
Staff were seeking additional resources & strategies to:
Improve quality of life through leisure
and lifestyle activities
Prevent, and or manage behaviors of
concern (i.e. anxiety, restlessness,
shadowing, persistent questioning)
Use the tablet in a person-centered
way to recognize and understand and
value individuals better
Preliminary data
Quantative data document developed in consultation with La
Trobe University
Average time of use = 30 minutes (longest single episode 2
hours)
Most popular websites / apps = Google Images, YouTube,
Montezuma
Time of day most used = mid to late afternoon (post 7pm was
not unusual)
Adverse outcomes / incidents as a result of tablet activity =
Nil
Approximately 90% of clients who participated in this iPad
project had no previous experience with iPad/ tablets
Outcomes
Facilitates meaningful “person
centered” leisure activity
Can reduce symptoms of agitation,
restlessness and boredom
Enables individualized reminiscence
Promotes audio and visual stimulation
Improves “client to client” interaction,
helpfulness and socialization
Enables translation of languages
When it didn’t work
Complex behaviors escalated before intervention
As cognitive functioning declined so did the level of
participation
Sensory impairments limited engagement
Less successful when environment was high stimulus
Symptoms of low mood / depression impacted on
participation rates
Summary
Tablets can positively contribute to quality of life
Promote “person centred “ lifestyle and leisure
opportunities
Contribute to staff better understanding of the individual
Increase social interaction between clients and feelings of
boredom and restlessness
Reduce behaviours of concern and the use of
psychotropic medication
THANK YOU
QUESTIONS