Last summer I worked in a residential community for dementia and Alzheimer's patients in Vienna and was able to observe for a fortnight how life can be made worth living for these people through a great deal of empathy and care. The way in which I dealt with people whose radius of life is shrinking faster than they would like contributed significantly to the fact that they were still able to experience their lives in a positive way.

The calm and level-headed manner of the carers and the confident and unagitated approach of the manager of the shared flats to the daily problems, big and small, which often could not be planned in advance, also taught me a lot about dealing with my colleagues and fellow human beings in general. The care that was given to the patients was essential and made them feel visibly better.

It was important to continue to give them small tasks in life, depending on their ability, and to give them a little independence for as long as possible. In addition, there was the realisation of the satisfaction associated with this task, a small smile often gives much more job satisfaction than usual.
 

Author: Viktoria Dirnberger