"I know best what's good for me" - Improving quality of life of persons with dementia by means of home visits and individual case meetings
Background and objectives of the project
If the quality of life of persons with dementia is to be improved, it is essential to find out what it is that constitutes quality of life for that particular person: what is it that enriches his or her life? Are there persons of trust or activities that are able to contribute towards maintaining or raising the patient's self-esteem? By conducting home visits and individual case meetings, this project aims to analyze individual needs in order to improve the quality of life of a person with dementia. By actively including all those involved in providing care (people with dementia, relatives, professional caregivers), the objective is to develop an intervention that is tailored to the individual, e.g. re-/activating pursuits that have played a role in the individual's personal history. To achieve this, it is essential that dementia patients are included in the planning phase to ensure their self determination and to motivate them to actually implement the plan. "I know best what's good for me! Just ask!" is what one participant in the flagship project entitled QUADEM said during a home visit. This project aims to do justice to precisely this wish. A guideline that is to be developed as part of the project is intended to provide outpatient nurses and volunteers with suggestions on how to successfully carry out home visits and case meetings that will improve quality of life for persons with dementia and their relatives.
Funding
Frankfurt Alzheimer Society and Hans and Ilse Breuer-Stiftung.
Contact / Responsible employees