RESIDENTS with dementia in an SA aged care facility have been given wings thanks to a new model of care.
At Burunga Village in Port Broughton the nurses dress in bright casual clothes, medication trolleys are hidden away and household items such as vintage cups and saucers and kitchen cabinets create a homely, familiar feel.
The village is the first in Australia to become an accredited provider of the internationally recognised Butterfly Household model of care, which aims to remove the sense of “them and us”, with a focus on residents’ emotions, and replicating home-like environments and everyday activities they enjoyed earlier in life.
Created in the UK by Dementia Care Matters, the program has expanded to more than 50 Butterfly Homes around the world, and has been shown to reduce behaviours such as aggression, agitation, wandering and confusion, which commonly beset people with dementia.
Barunga residents are encouraged to help in the running of the facility, including feeding the pet chickens and preparing meals. Interior spaces were refurbished to ensure the rooms are colourful and engaging.
Staff are trained to engage with residents’ memories, rather than trying to bring them back into the present.
The village’s Butterfly Model co-ordinator Louise DeWolf said that since the measures were put in place, there had been a definite decrease in the number of falls and positive weight gain in the 16 people who live in the house. “The most enjoyable changes to witness have been the increase in laughter and happiness within the people living in the Butterfly Home, and their meaningful engagements with their families and our staff,” she said.
Results in established Butterfly Homes have shown the use of anti-psychotic medications has decreased to almost 5 per cent and a 44 per cent reduction in the number of falls.
