Mrs A has been in our care home for some time, she has a diagnosis of dementia and on occasions tries to enter other peoples’ rooms. Mrs A is awake most of the night and will shout out and bang her feet for attention from staff.
Mrs T was staying with us for respite and recovery following a stay in hospital, her room was opposite Mrs T.
Early on during her stay Mrs A tried to enter Mrs T’s room in the early hours of the morning. Following this experience Mrs T expressed that she did not like Mrs A and she would often leave the room if Mrs A entered. Mrs T expressed that people like Mrs A should be kept separate from the rest of the home.
Mrs T was visibly wary and on edge when Mrs A was present. She felt that Mrs A was ‘difficult’ and ‘rude’ and that Mrs A was choosing to be up late at night and that she was purposefully entering other peoples’ rooms.
Over the course of her stay in the home, staff began to have a supportive dialogue with Mrs T about this to try and understand why she felt this way and what we could do to make her feel safe and comfortable. She told staff that she had not had any experience of being around people with dementia.
Through many conversations with staff, Mrs T was able to come to understand that Mrs A was not always able to control these behaviours and quite often Mrs A was anxious and confused herself, which is why she would go looking for help.
As Mrs T came to the end of her time with us, she thanked us for this support and said that she had learned a lot about dementia and how it may affect people, she felt she would be much more understanding and patient as a result. Mrs T was given information about becoming a dementia friend in her community.
