Mediation between Staff and Elderly Persons with Intellectual Disability with Alzheimer Disease as a Means of Enhancing Their Daily Functioning

Abstract

This study presents a new way of mediation between staff and elderly persons with intellectual disability (ID) and Alzheimer type dementia (AD), i.e., the MISC (Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers (Klein, 1988(Klein, , 2003) ) model. The MISC was adopted for interactions between staff and adults with ID and AD based on observations of interactions between staff and adults with ID. The overall objective is to help caregivers and direct staff relate to their dependents in a way that will enhance their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning. It is based on the integration of the person-centered approach, the cognitive rehabilitation approach (Clare, Wilson, Carter, & Hodges, 2003) and the mediational approach (Feuerstein & Rand, 1979;Feuerstein, 2003). The five mediational parameters can be applied during daily activity: meal and medication time, work sessions and leisure activities. The cognitive, emotional, and behavioral parameters of the MISC, including their rationale, aim, strategies, and examples of their implementation in a population of adults with ID and AD, are included. A case study describing the efficacy of the MISC as applied to a person with ID/AD is presented.