b'RESIDENT-CENTRED CARECourtesy of Jarlette Health Services Courtesy of Jarlette Health Servicestransforms lives. People get up in theThe level of personal care goesthe plate around after shes finished morning with hope that their day isthrough the roof. Staff are tuned intothe first half.going to offer them things that givewhat people like and youll see people them the experience of joy.Theywearing makeup, jewelry, carefullyIn a Butterfly home area, we find that sleep better at night too, because theychosen clothing. Its joyful.antipsychotic use drops significantly. arent sleeping all day anymore. Falls also decline, in part because In my experience, it takes about 18 topeople are highly engaged in what In a Butterfly home, you can see the24 months before people work in thetheyre doing. friendships. You can hear peopleButterfly way without even thinking. It laughing, reading stories, playingis important to allow team membersWorking in partnershipmusic. You can smell bread baking,the time to really see and live the with otherssee people keeping busy with thechanges themselves.Our unions have been very supportive things they love to do. Mealtimesabout what were trying to do with also look and feel different: staff areNo labels the Butterfly Approach. They see sharing mealtime at the table andWe dont use the term responsivethe benefits it brings to people who engaging in conversation just like youbehaviours; we talk aboutwork in long-term care as well as the would at home. strong emotions instead. Its thepeople who live there.environment that makes people frustrated and we are the onesWith the Ministry, weve done who create an environment thatseducational sessions for our regional meaningful to them, or that frustratesinspectors on the Butterfly Approach them. The goal is to never bringand invited them for tours. The people to the place where they Ministry has also been very supportive reach that point. We use a morein helping to confirm that what were upstream or proactive approach todoing fits the spirit of the regulations. supporting people. Sometimes team members assume we cant do something or we have We ask our team to be dementiato do something because its in the detectives. Dementia is a disabilityregulations and its always been done of the whole body. We talk to themthat waybut in many cases its a about the changes that people arematter of interpretation, and there is experiencing, and how they can help.often more flexibility than we realize. This applies to more than strong emotions.Measuring the impactA team of researchers from the For example, a team member mightUniversity Health Network in Toronto wonder why Mrs. Smith only eats theand University College London in the food on one half of her plate. But ifU.K. are developing a new validated she knows that because of dementia- measurement tool for person-centred related changes, Mrs. Smiths eyescare. We are very excited that Jarlette arent working together anymore andis involved in the study. When this is she can only see one half of the plate,done, it will be the goldthe team member can help by turningstandard worldwide. LTCT14 LONG TERM CARE TODAY Spring/Summer 2024'