Let’s chat about… the best possible support for people with dementia mate wareware

A new podcast series called ‘Let’s chat about…’ by the Dementia Learning Centre (DLC) is providing a platform for dementia mate wareware experts to share their knowledge.

Kicking off with Let’s chat about… Personhood, it’s hoped the audio journey will help support learning at an individual level for others working with people with dementia mate wareware.

“We hope the podcasts could also be useful in an educational setting, and support those providing in-service sessions to staff,” says DLC Director and podcast host Dr Kathy Peri.

Ryman Healthcare Dementia Project Specialist Caroline Bartle (pictured left) joins Kathy in the first episode to highlight why personhood is important for people and whānau living with dementia mate wareware.

“The term itself is quite an odd term – it is quite abstract – so, many people struggle to really understand what [personhood] means,” Caroline says in the podcast.

“Person-centred care is a term people are more familiar with. However, people still struggle to know what that actually means in practice.

“Person-centred care is essentially derived from the notion of personhood. [Personhood] is about how we value people and how we demonstrate this in the way we treat a person, which in turn impacts on the way the person sees themselves.

“So, personhood is something we do together. It is essentially about relationships, which we all know is the linchpin of transformational care.”

In the second episode, Summerset’s Dementia Specialist Shelley Kennedy (pictured right) shares with listeners a common phrase said by people living with dementia mate wareware in residential care homes: ‘I want to go home’.

“Most people experience home as a place of comfort or having a feeling of safety. So, if someone is telling us that they want to go home, perhaps it’s actually a feeling that they’re missing.”

Check out the series on the DLC podcasts page and keep an eye out for new episodes.