The Implementation of a Model of Person-Centred Practice In Older ...

The implementation of a model of person-centred practice in older person settings
And, staff, I do take notice when you greet me with a smile
And I really mean to thank you when you go the extra mile
But sometimes I am angry though I know it doesn’t help
And when you lose your patience I can only blame myself
In the unit of St Joseph’s there are some who dare to hope And
some whose hopes are fading feel like giving up the ghost But
life is very precious though the deal you got is raw
There’s no room or self pity with your back against the wall.
So please listen to my story and try to make the time
You might just learn a lesson and be a bit more wise
I will try hard to respond and not be such a pain
With a little understanding we both can stand to gain.
In the unit of St Joseph’s life may seem very bleak But
life is still worth living for the sad and for the weak And
one thing is for certain as you go about your chore The
day is so much brighter when you look into my soul
A significant finding in the baseline data was the lack of connection between the
older person and various dimensions of their life. In the final data set, participants
recognised a number of themes that reflected the attention to re-connecting and
maintaining relationships – with family, past life, past role and to the outside (similar
to social outlets theme) as illustrated through the following data extracts:
When I was seventeen I was told I was going on holiday and that is when I came to
here where the nuns were, to the big grey building. I worked for the nuns looking
after the flowers and the vegetables. I like my music, I like to listen to it and play the
mouth organ. I am very happy here and everyone is very good to me. I go to Knock
and to Lourdes (Religious Shrines) every third year. I have my own television and I
watch lots of films. I watch it when everyone is in bed. I put the sound down low and
watch the picture. I like all sorts of films … (he proudly showed off his collection).
Every evening I listen to my music while having a cup of tea. Most days I don’t think
about my past experiences, however, some days it just comes in to you. But I am
very happy here [Narrator’s note: he also showed off his picture album which had
photographs of all his birthdays since he came to (hospital name) and there was also
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