Entrusting Care The elements of a successful

respite programAn Australian Government Initiative

• Myrtle Cottage Day Respite Service3.5 year demonstration project funded under the National Respite for Carers Program (Department of Health and Ageing)

• Background to this project

• Aims and Methodology

• Findings

Overview

Aim

We sought to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of Myrtle Cottage on the lives of the carers and the people with dementia, from the perspectives of the carers. Then utilise this knowledge to inform practice

Aim

Key Objectives

• Understand what it is like for carers to use Myrtle Cottage services

• Gain insight into the impact of Myrtle cottage on the lives of the carers and the people with dementia

• Understand the influence, if any, of Myrtle Cottage being co-located on a residential site

Key Objectives

Key Objectives

• Understand from the perspectives of the carers attributes of Myrtle Cottage that they value and ones they would like changed

• Gather information from the carers about potential improvements to Myrtle Cottage that could either enhance the care recipients experience, or improve their experience of using Myrtle Cottage

Key Objectives

Methodology

Aim: Sought to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of Myrtle Cottage on the lives of the carers and the people with dementia,

from the perspectives of the carers

A semi-structured focus group with eight carers

Three one-on-one, semi-structured face to face interviewsTwo telephone interviews

Findings

Purposeful sampling Purposeful sampling

Thematic analysisThematic analysis

Methodology

Findings

“One thing that I would say is very important is that I have a feeling of

trust,I trust the staff because I wouldn’t leave him if I didn’t feel confident.”

Findings

Findings

“It is a great relief, I know that she’s fed there and she’s well looked after there

and they’ll bring her home, and if there’s any problem they’ll call and we have

constant contact with them”

Findings

Findings

“Gives me peace of mind ... I’ll know while he’s there that he’s

quite safe”

Findings

Overview

Entrusting Care

Staffing Appropriate Programming

Supportive Physical and

Emotional Environment

Overview

Findings

Staff’s skills, knowledge and understanding

Staff’s approach to their work

Staffing

Findings

Staff’s skills, knowledge & understanding

“They [the staff] know the moods and mentality of whichever patient it is that’s over there and they suss out things that they can cope with, the expression of work that they can do

and teach them how to do it has been absolutely amazing, it truly has.”

Staff’s skills, knowledge & understanding

Staff’s skills, knowledge & understanding

“The way they speak to the clients and the way they handle them I have seen some that are mobile and would like to walk out when

the gates open and just things like that, ... I think they’re very, very

good.”

Staff’s skills, knowledge & understanding

Staff’s skills, knowledge & understanding

“We’re not really aware of the activities they do but we leave it in the very professional hands of

**** and the other carers, but whatever they’re doing as far as we’re concerned with dad, it’s

working.”

Staff’s skills, knowledge & understanding

Staff’s approach to their work

“You can tell that the staff love their

job and that just flows onto the people

they care for.”

“I think the reason we still go there is because the carers are so

wonderful. ****, she was just born for that role, she’s an amazing woman and the carers, all of them are just incredible, I can’t sing their praises

enough.”

Staff’s approach to their work

Staff’s approach to their work

“**** is always pleasant, lovely on the phone and any of her girls

that I’ve spoken to have always been the same, I’ve never had

any, I’ve never even felt anyone is fobbing me off, always lovely.”

Staff’s approach to their work

Appropriate programming

“an adult care centre ... they’re being

looked after, fed and somebody switches on the television and that’s probably it”

to “the brilliant part about Myrtle Cottage, they’re not just dumped there,

they do things”

“There’s no pressure to participate and you’re not felt like a drongo if you don’t

participate, it’s very, very good” 

Appropriate Programming

Appropriate programming

“Encouraging activities that don’t set them up for failure”

“It gives me peace of mind to know that he’s socialising and

interacting with others”

Appropriate Programming

Findings

Physical environment

Emotional environment Myrtle cottage

environment

Findings

Supportive physical environment

“He seems very happy at Myrtle Cottage, if he could he’d probably

stay there all the time. He brightens up considerably, now that’s a good

recommendation for you, as soon as he hits the door, he goes through, he brightens up and he talks, he

sings and he helps the other people and he can’t find his way around his own home, but he can go there and

help them.”

Supportive physical environment

Supportive emotional environment

“[giving] love and care, they truly do” and

“emotionally ... accept[ing] them as they are now”

Supportive emotional environment

Supportive emotional environment

“They do their job, they’re just so lovely, they replace the love and

the care that I think us as the main, the closest relatives have sometimes, we don’t have the time and they give love and affection and interest and

enthusiasm that we don’t, we’re so drained that we’re unable to

give.”

Supportive emotional environment

“** wants to go, he’d go everyday I think”

Summary

“*** wants to go, he’d go everyday I think”

Summary