Person-centred care at the DomusVI residence for the elderly in Murcia

Care programs at DomusVi are designed to make the individual feel comfortable rather than to simply meet medical needs

When thinking about how to take care of elderly or infirm friends and relatives there is a temptation to fall into the trap of thinking that there is a “correct way” of going about it, of keeping the person healthy and happy.

The reality, of course, is very different, and all of the staff at the DomusVi residence in the city of Murcia, which welcomes both short- and long-term residents, are absolutely aware of this. As director Cristina Pastor says, “we do everything possible to help our residents to feel at home, providing a safe, comfortable and adapted environment” - but what constitutes “feeling at home” is very different from one person to another!

For this reason the care model at all DomusVI residences focuses not on a fixed program, but on the individual people who are living there, either temporarily or in the long term. The residents are encouraged to take part in decision-making processes, to make requests and to ask questions, and although medical or dietary “rules” have to be established in some cases the aim is always to take into account their individual preferences, tastes and wishes as well as their needs.

Care is adapted to individual needs

All of the attention given to residents in DomusVi is personalized and every effort is made to offer familiarity and friendliness, encouraging independence whenever possible and thus making the most of the abilities and capacities of the resident. This is the attitude right from the moment new residents arrive and are welcomed, with the individualized approach extending to diet, hygiene, cleanliness and the social activities provided throughout the resident’s stay.

The target always remains to make the person feel at home, while at the same time ensuring that their time at DomusVi is as beneficial as possible for their health, wellbeing and comfort.

One of the key elements in the provision of individualized care is the “Lives With A Story” method, which involves not only the resident but also his or her family along with the professionals of DomusVi. The objective here is to compile information so that the staff get to know the background of each person they are taking care of, enabling them to tailor their attention in a special “made to measure” package, rather than offering a one-size off-the-rack version!

This “Lives With a Story” program can take months to compile, becoming an ongoing project and going far beyond the medical case history of the resident as it extends to sessions of reminiscence and hopes for the future, placing emphasis on the resident’s own identity and self-esteem. Each person is encouraged to talk about his or her experiences and to structure and order them, putting together a coherent thread of the story of their life.

This is carried out as a team project with DomusVi professionals, family members and the resident piecing together anecdotes, episodes and even pieces of music or things they have read, in order to form a detailed portrait of the individual. Often relatives are crucial in this sense, as they are able to help the resident recall things and provide the context which makes them relevant.

As Cristina Pastor says, all of the staff at DomusVi know that their role in caring for residents on a daily basis is “not to exclusively to talk or to listen, but to engage in an active two-way conversation in just the way a friend or family member would do in a home environment” – this is the way to make the person feel valued and independent, and to provide the comfortable atmosphere which they need and deserve.

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