On a recent day in Charlie’s Place, Jerry Montgomery, a former pilot, experienced flying again, selecting his own plane and plotting out the course. It was the commemoration of Elm Farm Ollie, the first cow milked in flight, and the other Charlie’s Place clients joined in for the simulated flight plotted from Missouri to St. Louis.

Such is just one activity in the over 3,000 applications in the new “It’s Never Too Late” (iN2L) technology system at Charlie’s Place, funded by the Pennington Foundation, which offers a multitude of person-centered leisure interests for the clients as well as being equipped with tools for staff for planning and incorporation.
Person-centered care is when the goal in caring for a person with dementia is their well-being. The late Tom Kitwood, one of the most respected voices in early dementia care and the author of Dementia Reconsidered, expressed in his book that we can enhance the well-being of individuals with dementia by “facilitating a sense of personal worth, a sense of agency, social confidence, and a basic trust of security in the environment and in others.”
At Alzheimer’s Services and Charlie’s Place Respite Center, person-centered care remains the hallmark and attitude of care for those affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia. When this attitude is practiced in the presence of a person with dementia through words and actions, it fosters a sense of both personal worth and the ability to act and make decisions independently wherever possible. It empowers that individual to control his/her own care.
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission recommends “people and family-centered care” as the first principles for guiding the delivery of health care. Such principles in this culture change include: 1) getting to know the patient as a person, 2) sharing of power and responsibility, 3) accessibility and flexibility, and 4) coordination and integration.
On a broader scale these principles encapsulate the philosophy of providing a quality of life and respecting the essential humanity of each individual. Getting to know the person beyond the diagnosis and building relationships with the patient and caregivers; respecting preferences and treating patients as partners in decisions and planning of care; being sensitive to the individual’s needs and allowing them to make choices; and working as a team to maximize outcomes and provide positive experiences are all distinct values of person-centered care. Additionally, providing a positive social environment (like Charlie’s Place) so that the person living with dementia can experience a sense of overall well-being and inclusion in society is a key element in sustaining a quality of life.
Barbara Anthony, president of LEADER (Louisiana Enhancing Aging with Dignity through Empowerment and Respect), an organization dedicated to advancing culture change in eldercare within the state of Louisiana, reiterates the importance and value of person-centered care: “When care must be provided to those who have had to leave behind a life as they know it through no fault of their own, it is the responsibility of the caregiver [health care professional] to help them preserve as many of their life choices as possible.”
The iN2L system (The company was founded by Jack York and his late brother) enhances the person-centered care philosophy at Charlie’s Place. The Mathers LifeWays Institute of Aging (2009) reported that, with the use of iN2L, participants were noticeably more energetic; less depressed; had increased levels of activity, social engagement and cognition; experienced greater quality of life; and demonstrated greater self-expression. A touch-screen capacity allows clients to put puzzles together, answer brain teasers, listen to music, travel to distant lands and even watch Labrador Retrievers being born, via webcam. Additionally, life stories of clients can be uploaded (for reminiscing) and clients have Skype capabilities to visit with family and friends. The system is cutting-edge technology and the only one of its kind installed in a day center setting in the state of Louisiana.

Celebrating 30 years in the Community
Putting on a captain’s cap and taking a simulated flight that day at Charlie’s Place was not only honoring Jerry beyond his diagnosis and respecting him as an individual, but it also gave him a greater sense of well-being, of being connected in shared relationships and having a purpose in his everyday life.
Positive differences. Positive outcomes. Person-centered is person-valued. Respecting humanity should be nothing less.

Contact us:

Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area

(225) 334-7494

www.alzbr.org