This tool is designed to help you record information about the person you care for that can be quickly and easily provided to the hospital staff to assist them to provide personalised care. It is designed for family and home carers of a person with dementia.
If your relative or friend with dementia needs to go to hospital, it can be challenging for them to communicate with health professionals and others who do not know them.
This form helps a carer keep an up-to-date source of information that can help the hospital staff tailor care for your loved one. It is designed on the principles of person-centred care, which values each person as an individual. The Focus on the Person Tool helps a carer collect information about typical daily routines, needs, and preferences that are important for providing person-centred care.
The tool can be completed as a pen-and-paper form, or used as an electronic tool (and also printed): this helps carers keep the tool up-to-date as needs and preferences might change for the person with dementia.
The items have been developed with a hospital visit in mind. The tool also may be useful when interacting with other health professionals – such as collecting information from a GP about medications.
The Focus on the Person Tool is free to use – download or print the tool using your computer (the format is an interactive pdf. ) If you are a family carer having trouble with the download, please contact us and we will post a paper copy to you.
note: to use this pdf document as an online interactive tool, ensure you have an appropriate application like Adobe Acrobat Reader
The Focus on the Person Tool is part of series of resources created especially for home carers of people with dementia, in consultation with consumers (including carers and people living with dementia).
Other resources in this series:
A Guide for Care Workers
This booklet has been written to help you understand why it is important for you to support people with dementia make everyday decisions. There are practical examples in this booklet of how to do this. All people want to be treated in a way that is consistent with their own wishes and preferences. People want to make decisions based on information they have been given and their personal experience where possible. Being involved in decisions and making decisions is part of being a ‘person’. Everyone has the right to be acknowledged and respected as a person.
Looking After Yourself While Looking After Someone With Dementia
As a carer it is important to look after yourself. If you’re not well it is difficult for you to look after someone else. This guide has information about the meaning of wellness and many handy strategies to help you improve your wellness and increase your resilience.
Getting the most out of Respite Care
If you care for somebody with dementia, you need to remember to look after yourself. Sometimes this means taking a break, by getting help from respite services. Getting the most out of respite care has been designed to help you decide if and when you should use these services.
Transition to Residential Care
The transition to permanent residential care can be the most difficult time in your carer journey. Watch this 6 minute video to hear real advice from carers about how they dealt with both the practical and emotional aspects of transitioning from home-based to permanent residential care.
Authors: Professor Chris Toye
Partners: Curtin University, QUT, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital