The ART & SCIENCE of Person-Centred Care Communication

The ART & SCIENCE of Person-Centred Care outlines 10 key evidence-based strategies to support professionals who work with patients with dementia to enhance safety and quality of care. These advanced communication strategies help to prevent and de-escalate responsive (aggressive) behaviours.

Key Things

Critical Thinking with Communication in Dementia Care

  1. The ART & SCIENCE of Person-Centred Care is grounded from research evidence
  2. Real-life clinical-based content allows you to apply practical knowledge in practice
  3. Person-Centred Care philosophy – offers useful guidance to provide individualized and compassionate care - always see the person first

What is the ART & SCIENCE of Person-Centred Care?

On the Job

Mrs. Wong's Story.
Mrs. Wong, a 90-year old patient with dementia is very worried. She has been looking for her husband who passed away a year ago. You may say:

"Mrs. Wong, your husband died a year ago."
Reality orientation will repeatedly re-introduce the bad news and grieving all over again and again. Use validation to acknowledge emotion and distraction to deescalate
"Mrs. Wong, I see you miss your husband,
tell me more about him."
Use validation to acknowledge emotion and distraction to de-escalate

Mr. Sandhu's story
Mr. Sandhu is sitting at the nursing station and starts to become agitated. He yells loudly at other patients

You come up close to Mr. Sandhu with arms crossed and ask:
"You can't yell like this. What can I help you with?"
Watch your body language. Nonverbal communication is important in communication with patients with dementia.
You come up to Mr. Sandhu with arms relaxed.
You stand a few feet away from him giving him his personal space.
In a calm and gentle voice you ask:
"Can I help you?"
Wonderful use of nonverbal communication. People may not remember what you say, but they remember how you make them feel.

Select a response

How can I be more person-centred?

ART & SCIENCE Game


More Info

Communicating with people with dementia: Heal Education England top 10 tips

P.I.E.C.E.S. Job Aids

Gentle Persuasive Approaches

Improving quality of care for people with dementia in general hospitals

Fix Dementia Care Hospitals

Acknowledgements

Thank you for the funding support by BCPSQC, summer internship program


Thank you to everyone involved in the development of this project
  • Project lead: Lillian Hung, Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Student: George Padua, Game Developer and Designer (BCIT, RaccooPack Media)
  • Clinical Team: Doris Bohl, Clinical Educator & Jenifer Tabamo, Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Learning & Technology: Abir Cosyn, Instructional Design, Multimedia Designers and Educational Material
  • Staff involved in co-design include: Physician, Nursing staff, OT, Music Therapist, Unit clerk and Activity staff:
    • Leon Blackmore Pavilion Unit 7 GH
    • Leon Blackmore Pavilion Unit 10 GH
    • Leon Blackmore Pavilion Unit 7 EF
    • Leon Blackmore Pavilion Unit 8 EF
    • Willow Older Adult Mental Health

The ART & SCIENCE of Person Centred Care is evidence-based, empirically grounded in research recently conducted at VGH. For education use purpose, please cite: Hung L . (2017). Person-Centred Care in Acute Care. PhD Thesis. Vancouver: University of British Columbia.

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