A Musical Solution: The Importance of a Person-Centered Approach

One day, after months of remaining silent, bed-ridden and reluctant to eat, Charlie, a resident of a long-term care facility who suffers from dementia, declared happily to the surprise of many: “That is excellent!” His enthusiasm was in response to a song, sung for him by a professional caregiver at the care facility who knew how much he loved music. She understood that Charlie was more than an uncommunicative dementia patient; but rather, a unique individual with thoughts, talents and interests of his own. She looked beyond the illness and saw a person instead.

The caregiver who sung to Charlie provides a great example of the value of a person-centered approach in caring for someone with dementia. Through a simple strategy of uncovering the person behind the illness, she was able to reignite the spark of joy in a resident who seemed to have stopped engaging in life around him. Before her “musical solution”, Charlie was living in hospital gowns and pajamas, not interacting with anyone, not watching TV, not speaking and hardly eating in a room that still had Christmas decorations up though it was the end of July. Upon seeing him, the caregiver knew something more had to be done.

The key was not more medications but simply taking an interest in finding out more about Charlie the person, rather than Charlie the patient—What interests him? What motivates him? What makes him smile? By asking the right questions, the caregiver soon discovered that Charlie was an avid music-lover. Armed with this new information, she began singing to Charlie to encourage him to eat. Bite after bite, she would continue singing, sometimes stopping mid-song to get him to take one more mouthful. The results proved successful—not only did Charlie finish all of his food at mealtimes, but he seemed joyous, at times even clapping his hands to the tune of the song. The best reward of all came on the day when, after a mealtime session in response to one of the caregiver’s questions, Charlie finally spoke three simple, happy words: “It is excellent!”

Too often we let the label of “dementia” obscure all other aspects of a person—their imagination, the things they love, their sense of humour, their individual quirks, their hidden charms. Seeing someone with dementia as a human being who is defined by much more than their illness can make a big difference. When it comes to dementia care, this type of person-centered approach that starts with understanding a person as a person, is one of the most effective ways to manage challenging behaviours.

If you would like to learn more about how to provide personalized person centered approaches for the person you are caring for, please contact us at info@DementiaSolutions.ca and we would be happy to assist you.