A specialist dementia carer has received an award for overseeing a care plan for
a 77-year-old resident with PTSD who each morning was convinced he must get to
Adelaide Airport to board a flight.
The Vietnam War veteran, Robert, is a resident of HammondCare Caulfield, in
Melbourne, 750km away from Adelaide. But Robert was convinced he is in
Adelaide. And his feeling of need to get a flight was causing him distress.
Each morning Robert would routinely empty his cupboards and drawers, as well as pack
all his personal items, including his bedding, to ready himself to get to Adelaide
Airport. This went on for more than a year.
Sometimes Robert would attempt to climb out his room window or even
unscrew the fly screens to make his flight. Occasionally, he said he needed to
get to Sydney Airport to leave Sydney instead.
Action award on November 18 for developing a care plan with an emphasis on
non-pharmacological strategies to help Robert become more settled and
reduce his feeling of compulsion to make his flight.
Jarryd said: “His army training led him to do things in a disciplined away, like
packing up his things. It’s great to see him now more settled and making more
friends in his cottage.”
Robert lives with a form of vascular dementia that became aggressive following
brain surgery for a Colloid Cyst – a benign tumour - in 2021. While there was
some evidence of cognitive decline beforehand, the surgery triggered a stroke
and appears to have led to a fast decline.
Robert’s Vietnam experience had left him with post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) that became more pronounced after his dementia diagnosis.
HammondCare General Manager for Residential Care and Dementia Centre, Angela
Raguz, said Jarryd’s care approach was to get to know and understand Robert
and develop a personal care plan for him.
and exercise plan helped give him comfort,” Ms Raguz said.
“He incorporated morning exercise on a stationary bike, understanding the
resident’s PTSD from his Vietnam War experience, and helped prepare him to
attend to attend ANZ memorial services.” There were also opportunities for
Robert to contribute to the routine of the cottage, including in the kitchen.
Robert’s wife of 44 years, Manya, said his desire to get to Adelaide Airport was
most likely linked to an unhappy period in the 1970s before they met when he
was posted to South Australia as an air traffic controller. “There wasn’t enough
for him to do, he was bored, and he was missing his family,” Manya said.
She said her husband was fit, healthy and active prior to his 2021 surgery. She
described him afterwards as a “restless soul”.
Manya speaks glowingly of Jarryd’s approach to her husband’s care. “All I can say is Jarryd is a gem. He’s not allowed to leave his job!”
Born in what is now Indonesia in 1947, Robert later relocated to The
Netherlands before migrating to Australia. He signed up with the Army to
develop job skills, a move that led to his Vietnam service. Upon his return, he
joined the then Civil Aviation Authority to become an air traffic controller. He
was also a qualified pilot.
His PTSD meant any approach from behind would provoke an angry response.
Television news reports showing coffins returning from Iraq, draped in
Australian flags, prompted outbursts.
Associate Professor Steve Macfarlane, Head of Clinical Services with Dementia
Support Australia, said while every case is unique, the behaviour of needing to
be somewhere or get somewhere is common with dementia.
“Invariably, this behaviour responds poorly to medications and so innovating
non-pharmacological strategies like Jarryd put in place reflect best practice,”
A/Prof Macfarlane said.