“I’m all right, don’t bother them.” These are the words my grandmother, Olga, would say, even after having a stroke that led to Alzheimer’s. Her memory slowly faded, but she held onto the joy of retelling stories from her earlier years as a mother and grandmother. No matter how much she struggled, she didn’t want to trouble the staff. I often wondered whether this reluctance came from her upbringing or from being mistreated by caregivers in the past. My grandmother’s words and fears about being a burden stuck with me, especially when I saw how it affected the care she received.
My grandmother shared her room with another elderly woman, whose name I never learned. She was unconscious most of the time, relying on an oxygen mask, and feeding tube, making me wonder if people saw my grandmother the same way as just another patient with a condition stripped of her life story.
There was a serious lack of personal connection in that room, and it made me reflect on what was missing: the VIPS framework. This framework—value-based, individual approach, perspective taking, and support (Brooker & Latham, 2016) is a crucial tool in dementia care, focusing on seeing people with dementia as individuals, not just patients.
The pandemic hit, and things got worse. My grandmother’s health deteriorated, and she passed away due to complications. Losing her was a profound experience. It wasn’t just grief for the woman she was, it was also for the care she deserved but didn’t receive. Her passing deepened my resolve to advocate for care that respects the dignity of every person. Whether it’s caregivers, family, or healthcare professionals, we all need to remember that the people we’re caring for have lived full lives. Their stories deserve to be honoured.
My grandmother’s experience was a painful reminder that care facilities need to prioritize social connection through personalized-individualized care plans . Even in times of financial or staffing constraints, human interaction is essential for quality care. The VIPS framework reinforces this, focusing on seeing individuals as more than their diagnoses (Brooker & Latham, pp.79-101, 2016)
In Dementia Reimagined: Building a Life of Joy and Dignity from Beginning to End, Tia Powell makes a similar argument. Drawing from her family’s experience with dementia, she advocates for care that protects human dignity. I feel a deep connection to her work. Dementia runs in my family, and knowing that it might affect me one day makes me even more determined to push for environments that honour the individuality ,personalized care-plans and dignity of those living with dementia.
During my grandmother’s journey, I began to realize how powerful personal stories are in connecting individuals with dementia and their caregivers. This led me to the Tree of Life (TOL), a narrative therapy method cp-developed by Ncazelo Ncube (2006, 2017). Initially developed for trauma survivors, TOL helps individuals move beyond focusing solely on their problems by sharing preferred stories that lift them up.
In the TOL method, the roots represent a person’s history, culture, and source of sustenance; the trunk symbolizes their skills and strengths; the leaves represent important people in their lives; the branches symbolize their hopes and dreams; and the fruit reflects the gifts they’ve given and received. This approach fosters a deep personal connection, making individuals feel truly seen and understood.
For people with dementia, this method focuses on sharing stories that make them feel good without worrying about whether they follow a specific timeline or structure. The goal is to help them feel connected and supported through the memories that still bring them joy. As their memories fade, these positive stories keep them nourished and uplifted.
Just as Tia Powell advocates for dignity in dementia care, TOL creates “islands of safety” places where individuals with dementia can share their stories in a supportive environment.
Psychologist Elizabeth Field was among the first to apply the TOL approach to dementia care within NHS Mental Health Services for Older People. Her work demonstrated the profound impact this method can have on fostering connections and improving care. Building on her foundation, I aim to continue adapting the TOL approach to create these “islands of safety,” where individuals with dementia can share their preferred stories, express their identities, and feel truly seen. This aligns well with the individual approach (Brooker & Latham, pp.79-101, 2016) where the authors argue that care for people living with dementia needs to recognize that all individuals are different and there they care needs to be reflective of this.
Phase 1 Values Element : Staff Training – Building a Foundation
In this phase, the staff, who play a crucial and valued role, will be trained in the Tree of Life methodology, which forms the foundation of the entire project. Their role is pivotal, particularly in Phase 3, Small Narrative Conversations – Bringing Stories into Daily Care. This training equips staff with the skills to use narrative techniques that encourage meaningful social engagement. By doing so, they will enhance the quality of care, improve the mental and physical well-being of people living with dementia and their families, and help create an environment where individuals are seen for who they are, not defined by their disability or age.
Phase 2: Values, Individual , Perspective of person living with dementia element & Social Environment
Group Sessions – Sharing Personal Stories
Residents will participate in group sessions where they share preferred stories. Facilitators will use visual aids and memory prompts to guide the storytelling process, creating a reflective and positive space. This phase fosters connection and self-expression, which are crucial for emotional well-being. These sessions will illustrate how the Tree of Life model, with its adaptability, effectively caters to the unique needs of people living with dementia.
Phase 3 Values, Individual , Perspective of person living with dementia element & Social Environment
In this phase, personal stories are integrated into everyday care to make interactions more meaningful. Caregivers will use these narratives to tailor daily tasks, fostering stronger relationships and more personalized care. Drawing on Tia Powell’s work, which highlights the power of small, scaffolded conversations, this phase aims to ensure that people with dementia are indeed seen and understood.This is what I call individualized resident care, a focus not on patients or residents in an institution but on the individual’s care. This information is intended for care providers, who play a crucial role in engaging residents through small conversations. By reflecting on the residents’ preferred memories from their Tree of Life, which will be their rooms, care providers can confidently use these memories as conversation starters, knowing that it is an effective approach to engage residents and integrate them into their daily tasks (Brooker & Latham,p.79, 2016).
Phase 4 :Values, Individual , Perspective of person living with dementia element & Social Environment
Documentation and Evaluation – Assessing Impact
The final phase involves documenting the project’s outcomes and assessing its impact using qualitative and quantitative measures. A logic model will help guide this process, tracking progress to evaluate how well the Tree of Life approach improves care, well-being, and social connection for people with dementia and their families.
The Tree of Life (TOL) Project exemplifies the VIPS elements of dementia care by valuing each individual’s worth, honoring their unique stories, understanding their perspectives, and providing tailored support. By integrating personal narratives into everyday care, we can transform impersonal environments into spaces of compassion and connection. Let us continue to embrace the VIPS framework in dementia care. For further discussion or to connect, please reach out to me at camille@peppermintwellnesstherapy.ca.
