Annalotta Onni Maria Silvennoinen Avaimia parempaan ...

SEINÄJOKI UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
Thesis abstract
Faculty: School of Health Care and Social Work
Degree programme: Bachelor of Social Work
Authors: Annalotta Onni, Maria Silvennoinen
Title of thesis: Means for better interaction in dementia care – developing project in the
memory unit of Lepola
Supervisor: Katariina Perttula
Year: 2009 Number of pages: 80 Number of appendices: 6
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Dementia is an increasing disease in Finland. Behavioral disorders, such as restlessness
and aggressiveness are part of dementia. These disorders are challenging for the personnel
in dementia care. Behavioral disorders are mainly taken care by medicines, so it would be
important to find alternative ways to face these disorders. One alternative way is a Tunte-
Va-method – a key to better interaction. TunteVa-method is the most essential part of our
thesis.
Our thesis was a part of Demke-project, which is a project dealing with dementia. The aims
of the Demke-project were to reach a qualified life for people with dementia in residential
care, and support the personnel’s professional skills in dementia care. Our thesis was a
functional thesis, which was implemented in a memory unit of Lepola, in Ilmajoki. In our
thesis, we devised the interaction between the resident and nurses in Lepola. We presented
the nurses a TunteVa-method, which is a Finnish validation method based on hearing the
feelings of a demented person. We also piloted a remembrance group, which had to aims in
it: first it would bring variety for the life of the residents, and second, it would produce
information for the nurses about the past life of the residents. In addition, we combined an
album, which included the material of TunteVa-method and the guideline to lead a remembrance
group.
We collected information about the experiences of TunteVa-method and the leading of the
remembrance group with blanks and interview. The nurses of Lepola had used especially
following techniques of TunteVa: contacts and proximity, singing, and giving response to
the feelings. As to the remembrance group the nurses noticed, that the orientation of the
residents was better in the group, than in normal life. Also the communication between the
nurses in Lepola was progressed. The care work in Lepola was now more goal-directed.
The nurses realized, that as the information of the dementia care increases, the care work
will also be easier to accomplish.
Keywords: geriatric care, dementia, TunteVa method/validation method
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