Provider sees enhanced quality of life for residents under dementia care model
A dementia care approach pioneered in the UK has led to a reduction in falls, psychotropic medication use and expressive behaviours at Salvation Army Aged Care Plus facilities in the ACT and Queensland.
A dementia care approach pioneered in the UK has led to a reduction in falls, psychotropic medication use and expressive behaviours at Salvation Army Aged Care Plus facilities in the ACT and Queensland, the final evaluation has found.
The provider began rolling out the care approach, known as the Butterfly Household Model of Care, at its Cairns Aged Care Plus Centre at Chapel Hill in Queensland and the Mountain View Aged Care Plus Centre at Narrabundah in the ACT in 2016.
As previously reported, the model focuses on enablement rather than dependence and moves away from a traditional task-focused approach to providing care.
It was developed by the UK-based organisation Dementia Care Matters, which the Salvation Army Aged Care Plus acquired earlier this year, and is in use at residential facilities across the UK and in Ireland, Canada, Australia and the USA.
The implementation of the approach has led to significant reductions in resident falls (70 per cent), residents requiring psychotropic medications (40 per cent) and expressive behaviours (75 per cent) at the Mountain View facility, the Salvation Army Aged Care Plus reported this month.
The Cairns facility also had reductions in falls (81 per cent), psychotropic medication use (28 per cent), and expressive behaviours (50 per cent), it said the internal evaluation found.
Both facilities achieved 100 per cent stabilisation of pain levels, the provider reported, which is up from 60 per cent found in the interim evaluation released in February last year (read that report here).
Aged Care Plus acting CEO Carel Bothma said the positive results were due to the model’s person-centred approach and the value it puts on emotional intelligence.
“The Butterfly Household Model of Care is an innovative model that challenges the way we provide care for those living with dementia as it shifts from a task-focused, institutional approach to a transformative model guided by each resident’s interests, feelings and emotions,” Mr Bothma told Australian Ageing Agenda.
Designing home-like environments, resident placement and flexible activities coupled with a no-uniform policy and intensive training for staff are among the key physical, cultural and environmental features of the model.
Mr Bothma said the implementation of the model has resulted in “enhanced quality of life for residents living with dementia, with increased resident morale and greater sense of inclusion.”
On implementation challenges, he said they “underestimated the intensity of the project” in terms of the cultural, living and environmental change and the regulatory framework and approvals involved.
“The project has also been emotionally demanding for those involved, however while navigating these vulnerabilities, this project still remains one of the most worthwhile and effective things we have ever done,” Mr Bothma said.
Following the initial success at the Mountain View and Carins facilities, the Butterfly Household Model of Care was launched at the Elizabeth Jenkins Place Aged Care Plus Centre in Collaroy in October 2017.
Mr Bothma said Aged Care Plus hoped to implement the most positively received elements of the model to all of its residential facilities in the future.
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We need this in British Columbia, I have said it for years … no one is listening
Great in theory but has ruined my father’s care home. He us isolated I a wing with no others at his stage of dementia and stimulated and sleeps a lot more.
Im not sure how frinchises work but is this model now exclusive to the ASalvos in Australia? These articles never seem to mention Burunga the pt Broughton SA facility that was in thei first cohort of Australian trials. Im presuming theyre independent not part of a chain, there just doesnt seem to be any springboard effect from either of these undertakings. How will others get on board – do they have to negotioate a relationship with rival providers? Or is there some other reason for the lag in uptake. 2016 was a while ago. where are the new trials? Im looking for a facility like this. it should be a state standard not some specialist offering in 3 facilities across the continent. Im wondering how the private acquisition is a help or a hindrance? – great if every aged plus offers it as standard! but if not, then others need access competitively. Or itll be another 15 years before an alternatively branded same basic thing wheel reinvention is able to launch itself. Please correct my assumptions i hope im wrong.
Yes, Vau. I am trying to find signs of this approach in Australia recently. ”
You would think it would have taken off after the initial pilots but that doesn’t seem to have happened. Sad to see June’s comment, above, also, about her Dad.