Person Centered Care in dementia places a high value on the person experiencing dementia while at the same time, acknowledging the importance of the care partners. It regards people as unique individuals deserving of understanding and respect, with opportunities to continually engage in positive interactions and experience well-being in their lives.
The practice of Person-centred Care begins by looking at the individual as a person whose dementia forms only part of his total identity. The larger part of this individual continues to be the possession of his or her own uniqueness, the retention of the need for self-recognition and identity as well as the preservation of their ability to act and respond to the environment that surrounds them.
A care partner practicing Person-centred Care will attempt to discover and develop an understanding of this unique individual, their life experiences, network of relationships as well as their personal values and beliefs. Possessing this rich history, the care partner will then be able to effectively empower, reassure and nurture the person with dementia. This will form the basis of a positive supportive relationship in which the person with dementia continues to live life the way he or she would like to, in the manner which he or she is still capable of.