Case Study: Maryborough Hospital, QLD
Encouraging learner to understand the experience of a busy hospital from the perspective of a person living with dementia.
Maryborough Hospital was one of four Queensland hospitals to trial The View from Here as part of Commissioned Training.
Kim Pointon, Maryborough Hospital’s Nurse Unit Manager, said: “DTA conducted a training needs analysis for our sub-acute ward and education for staff was identified as a high priority. We were excited to discover The View from Here was being released.
“We were seeking training that would give staff an understanding of the physiological and clinical aspects of dementia, to assist them to see beyond behaviours and consider the underlying pathological processes of dementia. We also wanted training that would take participants on a journey and build empathy for the experience of living with dementia.
Patient, Alice Ward
” Since undertaking the course, staff are now talking about the specific type of dementia a person has and how this is affecting their behaviour. Staff are taking a more person-centred approach to address the needs of individual patients and not taking a ‘one-solution-fits-all’ approach to people living with dementia. ”
– Kim Pointon, Nurse Unit Manager, Maryborough Hospital
Physio Rachael Lloyd-Smith and
patients Alice Ward and Rodney Bassett
“One of our goals was to improve interdisciplinary relationships. Clinical nurses, registered nurses, enrolled nurses, assistants in nursing, allied health professionals, allied health assistants, allied health managers and our Director of Allied Health have all participated in the course.
“Having staff at so many levels complete the same content means there is a more advanced understanding of dementia across the interdisciplinary team.
“The benefits of The View from Here in improving patient care have been so great that work is now under way to have the course included in our internal training portal. From 2018, The View from Here is mandatory for all new nursing and allied health staff.
“Most importantly, our patients living with dementia are receiving better care.”
Our Commissioned Training aims to bring about sustainable change within organisations to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia and the staff who care for them. Find out more about our Commissioned Training.