This week Samina Qureshi‘s Health and Social Care class received a special guest visitor – her mum!
Samina, who’s a full-time carer as well as a teacher, felt that her students would be able to benefit from meeting her mother, Mrs Begum, who has been diagnosed with dementia. After students spent class time learning about the 6 C’s of compassionate care – care, compassion, competence, communication, courage, and commitment – they had the opportunity to practise these skills with Mrs Begum.
Students asked her a variety of questions, spanning from what she remembers of Pakistan as a child to what she had for breakfast. After some time, they began to understand that her long-term memory seemed much better than her short-term memory. They listened to all her stories, treating her with empathy, dignity, and respect. Not only does this help them understand her neurological condition, it helps them understand a carer’s day-to-day role in society and in the home.
The most valuable skill Samina hopes her students took away from this conversation is patience. She also believes informal talks like these allow for increased participation from even the quietest students in her class. Everyone wanted her mum to feel welcome!
A special thank you to Mrs Begum for sharing your wisdom and stories with us.
