Dementia Care

Dementia is the term used to define a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders which affect the brain, and impacts the function of a person in four major areas:

1. Cognitive ability – relates to the way people think and remember. They may struggle to remember recent events, solve problems and complete daily activities.
2. Behaviours – experiencing delusions, hallucinations or becoming agitated, anxious, distressed and seeking reassurance from other people.
3. Functional ability – difficulties with performing daily living skills including bathing, grooming, sleep, toileting and eating.
4. Physical ability – pain, weight loss and changes in limb movements may be experienced as conditions progress.

Dementia describes a number of neurological conditions. Dementia is not one specific disease but rather there are over 100 different types of dementia including:

1. Alzheimer’s disease – the most common type of dementia, it is a progressive degenerative illness that attacks the brain and causes a gradual decrease in cognitive ability such as memory and problem-solving.
2. Vascular dementia – a disease associated with a person’s inability to circulate blood to the brain which can cause cognitive difficulties with reasoning and judgement.
3. Frontotemporal dementia – caused by the degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes in the brain which is responsible for someone’s emotion and behaviour.
4. Lewy body dementia – a disease that includes the presence of irregular structures in the brain which has an effect on nerve cells and brain cells which can result in difficulties concentrating and judging distances.

Aged care centres offer specialised types of care such as respite care, palliative care and dementia care. Dementia care is designed to support people who are living with dementia and it aims to improve their health, wellbeing and safety and enhance their overall quality of life.

Dementia care is provided by experienced and compassionate care workers and health professionals who are trained in caring for someone with dementia, whether it’s Alzheimer’s, Vascular Dementia or Lewy Body Dementia.

Dementia care provides targeted assistance and may include a range of strategies such as dietary changes, creating safe and supportive physical environments, therapeutic activities and meaningful activities that help provide a sense of purpose. 

IRT’s Journey of Care is a model that personalises the care experience for every resident. We recognise that every journey is unique and honour the diversity of each resident’s care needs.

Our specialised model of care ensures residents age in the right place with the right care within our aged care centres.

For example, as part of Journey of Care, we offer needs-based “neighbourhoods” within our aged care centre for residents with similar care needs, such as those living with dementia care or approaching end of life. This allows us to provide the right staff, equipment and programs for these residents. It also allows us to tailor the environment and ultimately provide a much more specialised care experience to best support your loved one.

Neighbourhoods are defined needs-based residential areas within our aged care centres that allow for more specialised care. This particular neighbourhood is designed for people living with dementia and focuses on discovering resident abilities, enabling them to live with independence, individuality and dignity. Residents’ lives are enhanced through best practice design of the built environment, underpinned by Dementia Training Australia’s dementia design principles. These principles help minimise confusion and uncertainty, which reduces agitation and exit seeking while increasing independence and engagement with the community.

In this neighbourhood you might see dementia design principles being used to:

• Unobtrusively reduce risk: disguise fences or locked doors (with things such as murals or plants) to avoid frustration, agitation, anger or depression
• Allow people to see and be seen: provide cues in the environment through signs, colour and landmarks to help residents recognise where they are
• Manage levels of stimulation: highlight helpful stimulation through the use of sight and sound to provide sensory cues. Reduce the stimuli that is not relevant to residents (e.g. disguise staff meeting rooms, storage cupboards etc)
• Support movement and engagement: provide clear pathways with points of activity both inside and outside
• Create a familiar space: use furniture, fittings and colours that are familiar to residents from their early life
• Provide a variety of places to be alone or with others: create opportunities for residents to be alone or with others through spaces such as small sitting nooks and pergolas in gardens.

This neighbourhood suits residents living with dementia who are mobile and active or require minimal assistance to move around their environment.

Our Journey of Care model is a unique and innovative way of delivering dementia care. Dementia care is tailored to the needs of the individual which means costs of care may vary depending on the level of care needed and the types of services available. In most cases it won’t affect the cost of a resident’s accommodation and care.

To find out more, fill out the enquiry form below and our friendly team will be happy to help you.