Marymount Physical Therapy Encourages Interaction between Individuals with Dementia and Students!
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By Nicole Dierkes, SPT and Danielle Viola, SPT
The dementia population is viewed with apprehension in our culture. This belief also permeates our field. Often the dementia population is an uncomfortable territory for students and practicing physical therapists alike who lack exposure or instruction in treating individuals with dementia (IwD).
Over the past two summers, eight Marymount University DPT students have worked with faculty member Julie Ries, PT, PhD, in supervising balance and falls prevention programs for IwD at local adult day health centers. This experience provided a unique opportunity to step outside of the classroom and gain hands-on experience working with IwD, changing our perception in the process. Managing IwD in a group provided insight into how to best treat them in a clinical setting.
Following the conclusion of the program, we were interested in seeing how the experience had altered the likelihood of working with this population. As a group, we created and answered twelve reflective questions. Our discussion led to three main practical applications, which we recently presented in poster form at the VPTA Fall Summit:
1. The opportunity for interaction with IwD outside the formal curriculum positively influenced student perceptions, confidence and competence in working with this population.
Prior to our participation in this research project, most of us had little to no experience working with patients with dementia. We worked in an open group environment. At first, our hour-long training sessions were guided by the head of the research study. As we gained more confidence, we were encouraged to lead portions and eventually the entirety of the sessions. By the end of the eight-week program, the exercise sessions were entirely student-run. This gradual progression and transition enabled us to become significantly more comfortable and self-assured in our interactions with IwD.
2. Exposure to IwD during PT education may serve to counter negative impressions and expectations surrounding this population.
Students normally do not get the opportunity to work with IwD, so there can be negative perceptions of working with these patients. Common fears were an inability to make a lasting connection, as well as an ineptitude to provide accurate instructions and effectively communicate with IwD. Through this experience, we learned that the diagnosis of dementia should not be viewed as a limiting factor to a patient’s success. Much like the typical older adult population, exercise and balance training can improve activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with dementia. Practitioners should be patient, be positive, smile, and listen when interacting with IwD.
3. When students’ initial interaction with IwD is implemented in a fun, short-term and autonomous environment, they are more likely to want to pursue future opportunities to work with IwD.
As a result of the summer experience, six out of eight of us identified that we would welcome and seek out opportunities to work with IwD as physical therapists. The dementia population can be challenging, and we believe that a positive first experience was key to our desire to continue working with this underserved and misunderstood population. We believe that exposing students to IwD in an open and inviting setting can change the course of perceptions and in doing so positively change the future of our field.
