LO 1 AWARENESS (Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth): Apex Harmony Lodge
For the Apex Harmony Lodge service I partake in, I have found some difficulties and also areas I have shown strength in when I am working with the dementia patients. Personally, I have had very limited experience working with people with dementia (PwD). That is why this service has been a bit of a challenge for me, because I am still hesitant on what to ask in case the person I am working with reacts negatively.
I think something I am good at is remaining positive despite the person I work with, Carol, sometimes not reciprocating or not understanding me. I try to smile a lot and be open with what I say, and I have learnt to be flexible so even if Carol does not want to listen to music, which is one of the main aspects of our service, I can simply chat with her first then try again later on.
I would like to improve on making Carol feel more comfortable with me by slowly working towards asking more questions about herself. At the moment, I have only been asking common questions like “How is the weather today?” or “What did you do today?”. I have found this makes it more casual, because when I first met her, I was trying to ask questions about herself, which she did not seem very open about sharing, because she had just met me.
My involvement in this service has made me aware of how flexible I have to be and how I must keep persevering even if I am having difficulty. This service is very much about resilience, because only with hard work and perseverance will we be able to see changes and results. I think I have struggled with working with a PwD because of my lack of experience of working with people where communication can be a barrier. That is why I think this service is very beneficial to not only the person I am working with, but also myself, because already I have been learning key skills and qualities that I will be able to use in the future.
