UK dementia care pioneer David Sheard suggests the ways people with dementia are treated in long-term care facilities may be categorized into five types. He bases his theory on a study comprising 500 audits conducted by his consultancy Dementia Care Matters in the UK.
Sheard’s five types are:
- Positive social (10%)
- Positive (5%)
- Neutral (70%)
- Negative protective (10%)
- Negative restrictive abusive (5%)
He demonstrates in this telling five-minute video using the example of making toast:
Unfortunately, I witnessed lots of negative restrictive abusive “care” in Mom’s Dementia Jail. To be fair, there were some care workers who delivered what Sheard describes as positive social care, but they were by far in the minority, particularly among the nurses I’m sorry to say.
What have you seen most often in practice? Even better, what have you practiced or do you practice yourself?
painful care partner choices: love or loss (or sometimes both)?
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My Alzheimer's Story 
I am a huge fan of David Sheard and Dementia Care Matters. What a powerful way David has of showing what a difference positive social interactions make. Why doesn’t everybody “get it”?! It not only brings joy and meaning into the lives of persons living with a dementia and their loved ones, but it does the same for the persons providing the care.
Berni
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I agree Berni.
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