My first experience working with Dementia : An insightful journey !

The first two weeks of this year gave me the opportunity to observe and co-facilitate the rare kind of work that Samvedna Senior Care, located in Gurgaon, India, does in its Cognitive Wellness Programme. Culturally and contextually adapted from the evidence-based (Woods, Aguirre, Spector & Orrell, 2012) Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, what I found most remarkable about it is the philosophical paradigm used by the facilitators. Indeed it provides space for the participants to engage and be mentally stimulated, which has been found to delay the progression of dementia. However, it has an even more important aim: to improve their quality of life.

This is critical as with dementia there is much known about the difficulties and sadness that can accompany the illness, not just for the patient, but also the family. It was heartening to then see and be part of a meaningful exchange with smiles, geniality and moments of being immersed in the activity at hand.

My other take-back from the experience was an appreciation for a principle of cognitive stimulation therapy, that everybody has different strengths. A person may be extremely reticent even when probed for a response but be adept at navigating the whole way to Samvedna Senior Centre from his home. The activities themselves aren’t tests to fail or pass, but ways to exercise the mind and make new connections. This fosters a nurturing, encouraging environment; one that should also be applied more commonly in learning for young students in our schools.

It was also interesting to see that while the participants may be inhibited, their unique characteristics do shine out in different ways. The psychologist described their preferences in the use of colours and patterns while painting. Over instances in my time with them, she also pointed out to me the nuances in understanding the way they may express emotions even if they are no longer able to articulate as they once did.

The recognition and validation of these different ways of relating and being human at Samvedna made it an enjoyable place to work. This empathetic quality, in my view, is what makes it work in the Cognitive Wellness Programme and also in the other geriatric related programmes and it is sincerely commendable.

Written by Tanvi Kankan, an MA Clinical Psychology student at Teachers College, Columbia University.

References
Woods, B., Aguirre, E., Spector, A. E., & Orrell, M. (2012). Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia. The Cochrane Library.  

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