The Butterfly Approach
Monday, 06 February 2012 13:12
It is a fact that as we live longer there is a chance that 1 in 5 people over the age of eighty will develop the symptoms of dementia. It is also widely recognised that caring for people with dementia takes real understanding and skill.
Pioneered by David Sheard, the butterfly approach takes its name from care staff, who are likened to brightly coloured butterflies moving from flower to flower. The benefits of implementing the approach were demonstrated in the BBC2 programme ‘Can Gerry Robinson fix dementia care homes’, with promising outcomes.
Alison Gough said: “By introducing the butterfly approach at Woodcroft, our staff interact at a personal level with dementia sufferers, the effect has been staff understand them better and the more personal interaction keeps them stimulated throughout the day. The improvement in individual wellbeing has been remarkable and we are keen to share our experience with other homes.”
Care staff in the pilot scheme at Woodcroft do not wear uniforms, “So there’s no them and us, we work together and eat together” said Alison. This approach even extends to night time, were staff wear pyjamas to show residents that it’s time for bed.
“It’s important to create a sense of home and normality, where residents are encouraged to participate in normal household tasks like cleaning, baking or working in the garden.”
“The results from the pilot scheme are very positive with a noticeable improvement in the overall health and wellbeing of the residents taking part, a reduction in lethargy, some reduction in medication and an increase in appetite where people are encouraged to be more active” added Alison.
“We have one lady at Woodcroft who likes to do housework, she washes up, helps with the laundry and likes vacuuming the carpets, so we have purchased a light-weight vacuum for her to use.”
Reviewing the outcomes of implementing the butterfly approach, Chief Executive of Coverage Care, David Coull said: “We are thrilled by the experience at Woodcroft, which has shown a positive effect on both residents and the staff involved. We shall now extend the lessons from Woodcroft to our other homes in Shropshire as we believe that more residents can benefit from the butterfly approach to enabling person centred care.”
