Supportive measures ‘doesn’t just apply to residents with dementia’
Care techniques can help meet needs of residents with physical disabilities, depression: Barr
Wednesday, November 8, 2006 -- Natalie Miller
A senior leading an independent life breaks her hip and can no longer tend to her needs on her own anymore.

She moves into long-term care and experiences a sense of loss of not only her home but her autonomy.

Can supportive measures be applied to help this woman and others who have disabilities or psychological needs but not dementia?

“Absolutely,” says Kathy Barr, supportive measures specialist and life enrichment co-ordinator at Rosebridge Manor in Jasper.

“It’s up to us to identify what (residents’) needs are and recognize where they’re vulnerable. Staff come up with strategies (to address) their anxieties or reduce their depression.”

For some residents it’s not dementia, but depression, that’s psychologically troubling. People can experience depression when they move into long-term care. This is particularly apparent in people who have lived an independent life and feel they’re giving up that autonomy, Kathy says.

“It’s up to us to recognize this through supportive measures and try to work with the resident to help them be as independent as possible and providing them with the feeling of independence.”

For instance, if a resident is capable of putting on his or her own shoes but it takes awhile, care workers employ patience and help them as little as possible.

“We have residents with physical needs. We need to learn about the person. By learning about the person we can apply supportive measures that can help.”

In the case of the resident moving into long-term care because she broke her hip, the first step is to make her feel welcome in her new environment, says Kathy, and then “work with her to get her back to a more independent state through physiotherapy and exercise.” If the woman is also depressed, Rosebridge can call in experts to help meet her psychological needs. “We’re investigating to find out what she really needs.”

Supportive measures is a practice whereby caregivers focus on individual needs and preferences of residents living with Alzheimer disease or related dementia. By identifying factors that trigger resident disease-related agitation, interventions can be put in place to remove many of these factors from the resident's daily life and reduce the need for psychotropic medications.

But, as Kathy points out, employing individualized care techniques and supportive measures interventions, residents with varied needs benefit.

“The bottom line is (supportive measures) doesn’t just apply to residents with dementia.”