‘Dementia Friendly’ Bluebird Care brings the Virtual Dementia Bus to Burnham

Carers from Bluebird Care will be experiencing first-hand what it is like to have dementia, when they step aboard the Virtual Dementia Bus, as part of a training session on October 25 organised by the Burnham care provider. The giant trailer will be parked at Burnham Park Hall, Windsor Lane, Burnham, for the training sessions and although all places are already booked, carers from the Summers Road organisation will be on hand to give out advice and information to local people. Care manager for Bluebird Care, Nicky Beadle, said: “The mobile tour is offering people the chance to walk in the shoes of people with dementia by mimicking their everyday experiences, which will be invaluable to our care workers. They will have a taste of what life is like for people with dementia and it will mean we can provide even better care for people, because we will understand first-hand what challenges they face.  We hope members of the public will come along to find out more.”

Carers from Bluebird Care will be experiencing first-hand what it is like to have dementia, when they step aboard the Virtual Dementia Bus, as part of a training session on October 25 organised by the Burnham care provider. 

The giant trailer will be parked at Burnham Park Hall, Windsor Lane, Burnham, for the training sessions and although all places are already booked, carers from the Summers Road organisation will be on hand to give out advice and information to local people. 

Care manager for Bluebird Care, Nicky Beadle, said: “The mobile tour is offering people the chance to walk in the shoes of people with dementia by mimicking their everyday experiences, which will be invaluable to our care workers. They will have a taste of what life is like for people with dementia and it will mean we can provide even better care for people, because we will understand first-hand what challenges they face.  We hope members of the public will come along to find out more.”

Experience Training manager Chelsey Cookson said: “We are pleased to be working with Bluebird Care by providing the Virtual Dementia Tour to their staff.  This demonstrates their commitment to providing high quality care to their customers living with dementia.  We are confident that the staff will learn new skills and approaches that will enable customers to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, with the right care and support from those who better understand the condition after going through the tour.”

The Mobile Virtual Dementia Tour is a unique experience which enables participants to see the world from the perspective of someone living with dementia.  Whilst initially participants experience fear and anxiety, the tour seeks to build empathy in staff and families so that they can change their practice and approaches to dementia care.  Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. 

Bluebird Care provides care in people’s own homes, many of whom have dementia, across the Slough, South Bucks and the South Wycombe region. Around 19 of the organisation’s carers have completed BTECs in Dementia Care and the organisation is registered as ‘Dementia Friendly’ by the Alzheimer’s Association.

 As part of this, the care provider offers a free dementia advice and response service to organisations and businesses in the village and has committed to signing up all staff as ‘Dementia Friends’. It has also pledged to encourage its workers to attend any local training available.