Specialisation of Case description 1
When a person wants to go to a person or a home that no longer exists, confirmation is a key success factor. To be able to start a conversation with Greta who is determined to go back to her home, it will be helpful to know something about her mother. In the life story, Greta's mother Anna-Karin died at the age of 55. She was often depressed and heavy-minded. Anna-Karin was strict and if Greta came home too late in her younger years, her father had to sometimes mediate some conflicts between Greta and her mother. Greta and her mother did not always agree. The last five years when Anna-Karin was still alive, she told Greta about her own childhood and Greta felt that she gained more understanding the reasoning behind her mother's reactions and behaviours then. They made a trip to Paris together during that period. Greta likes to look in the photo album from that trip and talk about the photos. If the staff knows what Greta's mother's life was like, they can talk to her about how her mother would probably wanted her to be well and that, as a mother, it is hard for her not to worry about her child regardless of their age.
Without knowing why the person with dementia is acting the way he or she does, It becomes a challenge for the staff to show empathy and respect for the person's feelings. According to Feil, it is easier to understand one's feelings once you know the person better. Today, it is increasingly common for staff to work in a person-centred manner and to reflect on their treatment. More and more people are realising the importance of knowing a person's life story. It is with this knowledge that they can coax and divert situations that caused anxiety and insecurity, as in the example of Greta who wants to go home to her mother. It is also easier to avoid coercive measures when you know the person's background and life so that you can respond to the individual's current and past circumstances.
We cannot know for sure what makes a person with dementia want to go home to their mother. However, we can assume that the person who wants to be with his or her mother feels insecure and is looking for security, something that a mother usually represents for. Parental fixation is a type of attachment behaviour that can be activated when a person feels insecure, lonely and scared. For people with dementia, the feeling of insecurity is common. Good communication is thus important. If a person with dementia has good contact with the staff, who can help them and support them in understanding the context of their life, their attachment to his or her mother (or parents) can decrease (Solem et al., 1996).
You can also use the part of the life story that is under the heading "Childhood homes and places of residence".
It says: Greta was born in Årjäng, Swedan and lived in a small cottage until she was 9 years old. Then the family moved to a small house outside Kil in Värmland. Greta eventually moved away from home and went to school in Karlstad, located not far from Kil. She lived on Storgatan. For a year she lived in Copenhagen on Fredriksberg with Aunt Ida. Then Greta moved to Norrköping, eastern Swedan and lived in an apartment with two rooms in the centre of the city. Then she lived in Linköping to Gamla Tanneforsvägen in Tannefors for 20 years. The last home that she own was a small apartment with two rooms, also on the same street. ”
Based on that information above, you can "lead" Greta through life in a conversation and reminds her of the different places she has lived over the years. Finish by saying "And now you live here in Solbacka and we take care of you because you are retired". In this way, you have led Greta home, to her current home.