Dementia is highly individualised, meaning that one care approach that works for one person may not be effective for another. This is why more medical and care professionals are turning to a SPECAL approach, which can improve quality of life and help individuals remain independent for longer.
Anyone can practice the SPECAL approach, whether you’re a friend, family member or professional carer. Today, we’ll explore what the SPECAL approach means and why dementia care demands it.
What Is SPECAL?
SPECAL stands for: Specialised Early Care for Alzheimer’s. The term was first coined by the Contented Dementia Trust, a charity dedicated to promoting the lifelong well-being of people with dementia.
The SPECAL approach uses a specific understanding of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, from the perspective of the person experiencing symptoms. By doing this and looking at the situation from your loved one’s perspective, you’ll gain the essential insight needed to help and support them.
What Are the Benefits of the SPECAL Approach?
The SPECAL method helps you understand the specific memory changes caused by dementia, then use this knowledge to positively change the outcome rather than ignore or deny them.
There are several benefits to using this approach, including:
- Increased confidence: You may notice your loved one wanting to participate in more activities, engage in more conversations, or try doing things independently with less reliance on a carer.
- Slowed rate of deterioration: Research has indicated that the SPECAL approach may reduce the rate of Alzheimer’s decline, helping individuals live longer with only mild symptoms.
- Reduced medication reliance: Thanks to a slower rate of decline, your loved one’s medication may be reduced, preventing the risk of side effects.
- More independence for longer: Your loved one may be able to remain in the comfort of home for longer thanks to their supportive environment and support system.
How Does the SPECAL Approach Work?
Imagine our memory is like a photo album. The photos inside represent our individual experiences, which are stored unconsciously as we move through life. We use the album often to reference recent photographs (events) to provide context and continuity to our lives.
When an individual develops dementia, the condition can affect their ability to store new memories or photographs. A new type of photo appears in its place – one that only focuses on the feelings of what just happened, rather than the facts.
Feelings are often stronger and more important to remember than facts. Your loved one will have a better idea of how they’re feeling than the activity they did this morning.
The SPECAL method focuses on feelings first, working positively with the person’s natural coping strategies rather than dementia’s common symptoms. It is a form of person-centred care in which the provider focuses on the person’s reactions rather than on what textbooks say should be happening.
How You Can Use the SPECAL Approach: Three Golden Rules
There are three golden rules to follow when practising the SPECAL approach, which are:
1. Don’t Ask Direct Questions
People living with dementia may not be able to recall recent factual information about their lives, meaning any questions about this can cause unnecessary stress.
Direct questions often rely on short-term memory, such as ‘Do you remember what the doctor said yesterday?’ If your loved one can’t remember, they may feel embarrassed, anxious or like a failure.
A more supportive approach could be to gather information indirectly and keep the conversation simple, safe and natural. You can often gather the information you need without putting your loved one on the spot.
For example, instead of saying: ‘Do you remember who came to the house this morning?’
You could say: ‘It sounded like you had a nice visit from your sister earlier.’
This gives your loved one room to respond and share about the visit, while subtly reminding them who came over and when. There is much less pressure for them to remember details when using leading questions.
2. Listen Intentionally to the Person with Dementia
Many carers make the mistake of not listening to the person with dementia. This may be because they believe that they are incapable of communicating their wants and needs, or they don’t have enough time to support their communication.
Tips for honouring your loved one’s ways of communication include:
- Garner information about their world first before bringing in details of your own
- Match your pace to theirs so they don’t feel left behind
- Learn what interests them, what holds their attention, and base interactions around these themes
- Understand the importance of feelings, which are still being stored in their minds at all times
- Stop talking as soon as your loved one starts, and avoid interrupting them to learn as much as possible from their interactions
- Avoid giving them bad news, as this may exacerbate negative feelings and reduce their communication efforts
3. Avoid Contradicting Them
You can’t choose what feelings your loved one with dementia chooses to show you, so it’s important not to correct, challenge or argue about these. The facts attached to the feelings may not always be correct, but the emotions attached are real. Correcting them may lead to confusion, annoyance, embarrassment and distress.
Instead, focus on where your loved one is emotionally and conversationally, and work from there. Treat what they say as interesting and meaningful, even if it does not exactly match reality. Prioritising feelings over factual accuracy usually creates a safer and more trusting interaction.
For example, instead of saying: ‘That’s your daughter, don’t you remember her?’
You could say: ‘She looks very important to you, will you tell me about her?’
This keeps the conversation open while avoiding putting your loved one in a position where they feel criticised or wrong. They can enjoy the positive feelings associated with their loved one without feeling embarrassed about their memory gaps.
How Trinity Homecare Can Help
At Trinity Homecare, we support people living with dementia by providing compassionate, relationship-led care in the comfort of home. Our compassionate, fully trained carers understand the importance of communication techniques that reduce anxiety and preserve dignity, utilising the SPECAL approach to deliver the best possible standard of care.
Whether you require visiting care or round-the-clock live-in care, we help families build meaningful routines and memories. Through a person-centred approach, we focus on companionship, daily living support and more.
Talk To Us Today
At Trinity Homecare, our ultimate goal is to enrich your lifestyle in the comfort and familiarity of your own home. This allows you to live the independent lifestyle that you love without the daunting thought of moving into a care home. We are here to support you with various forms of live-in care.
Call us now on 0207 183 4884 in confidence for a free, no obligation quotation. If enquiring outside of our opening hours, please complete our online form and we will contact you the next day.
