On a morning that didn’t start particularly well, Kay’s day took a positive turn when her Specialised Dementia Carer, Nicole, suggested she visit a world that was once her own.
Kay lives with dementia and had been in residential care for eighteen months. A naturally effusive and busy person, Kay spent her days interacting with residents and staff and getting involved in activity around the care home.
On this particular day however, Nicole noticed Kay appeared increasingly agitated and anxious. So, she decided to try something new.
Kay had worked as an office manager for many years, so the team invited her into the main office to help out for the morning. For Kay, the familiar environment provided a calming effect almost immediately and brought a sense of purpose to her day.
Her first job was to check the roster, making sure everyone had turned up for work. She was pleased to confirm that this was the case.
Next task, to interview a new recruit for an upcoming nursing role. Team member Srijana stepped in to roleplay as a candidate. At the conclusion of the interview Kay advised Srijana that she would ‘go far up the ladder and make her mum proud’, thanking her for coming with a shake of the hand.
‘Kay returned to her cottage much happier than when she had started her day, with a spring in her step,’ said Nicole.
By taking a relationship-based approach to care and taking the time to get to know Kay as a person, Nicole was able to tap into Kay’s unique experience and facilitate meaningful activity to reduce her agitation and elevate her mood.
This is dementia care that sees the whole person – that’s the whole point, isn’t it?
What are you doing to foster relationship-based care?
We want to hear your innovative and creative approaches to instilling a deep culture of relationship-based care and the impact they make.
Person-centred or relationship-based care, meaningful engagement, and training, retaining, growing and supporting your workforce are just a few of the themes you can submit a paper under at the International Dementia Conference 2026.