Tablet technology – Supporting older people living with dementia in a respite setting Presenter: Ben Gatehouse Position: Dementia Consultant Snapshot Aspiration - Older People Living Well Metropolitan and Regional Victoria: 8 residential homes with over 700 approved places 48 managed living units 1,546 Home care packages: Level 1 – Level 4 240,000+++ hours of in home support services including personal care, home care and respite 212,000+ hours of respite care per annum 1,300 staff 400+ volunteers Respite Macleod Cottage – NRCP funded Highly flexible day and overnight respite, 7 days a week Small homelike “residential cottage” for up to 12 clients per day and 5 clients overnight Focus on providing a respite environment which is “a home away from home” Staff with a “can do” attitude Tablet technology Commenced using tablet technology in 2014 All clients at different stages of dementia were eligible to participate / engage with the tablet The aim of tablet use was to improve the quality of life of residents and to prevent / manage any complex behaviors Where necessary family member / N.O.K consent was obtained Information was gathered on each client who accessed the tablet Background Staff were seeking additional resources & strategies to: Improve quality of life through leisure and lifestyle activities Prevent, and or manage behaviors of concern (i.e. anxiety, restlessness, shadowing, persistent questioning) Use the tablet in a person-centered way to recognize and understand and value individuals better Preliminary data Quantative data document developed in consultation with La Trobe University Average time of use = 30 minutes (longest single episode 2 hours) Most popular websites / apps = Google Images, YouTube, Montezuma Time of day most used = mid to late afternoon (post 7pm was not unusual) Adverse outcomes / incidents as a result of tablet activity = Nil Approximately 90% of clients who participated in this iPad project had no previous experience with iPad/ tablets Outcomes Facilitates meaningful “person centered” leisure activity Can reduce symptoms of agitation, restlessness and boredom Enables individualized reminiscence Promotes audio and visual stimulation Improves “client to client” interaction, helpfulness and socialization Enables translation of languages When it didn’t work Complex behaviors escalated before intervention As cognitive functioning declined so did the level of participation Sensory impairments limited engagement Less successful when environment was high stimulus Symptoms of low mood / depression impacted on participation rates Summary Tablets can positively contribute to quality of life Promote “person centred “ lifestyle and leisure opportunities Contribute to staff better understanding of the individual Increase social interaction between clients and feelings of boredom and restlessness Reduce behaviours of concern and the use of psychotropic medication THANK YOU QUESTIONS