Person-Centred Support: The Key To Living Well With Dementia

With around 850,000 people living with dementia, here at Bluebird Care Wandsworth, we're keen to show how it's possible to live well with dementia - given the right, person-centred support!

It’s estimated that there are around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and with numbers set to rise to more than 1 million by 2025, it’s likely that many of us will be affected by the condition in some way. Unfortunately, media reporting on dementia is often quite negative and gives a bleak perspective but at Bluebird Care Wandsworth we take a much more positive stance. Living well with dementia is possible with the right support!
 
Dementia itself is not a disease - the word dementia is used to describe a group of symptoms that progress over time and occur as a result of various conditions that affect the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is probably the one that most of us are familiar with, but there are many other types. Of course, as person-centred care practitioners, we understand that no two people will be affected by the condition in exactly the same way. However, common symptoms can include memory loss, cognitive difficulties, communication problems and behavioural changes. As you can imagine, this might make everyday living more challenging but in our experience the right care can enable people with dementia to enjoy a positive, full and rewarding life.
 
With our valued care partners the Alzheimer’s Society putting Dementia Awareness in the spotlight this week, it’s the perfect time for us to tell you how we ensure our incredible staff provide the very best dementia services.
 
 
Delivering Positive Dementia Care – Putting Learning Into Practice
 
We believe that underpinning knowledge is the key to providing excellent care. That’s why we ensure that every one of our Care Assistants receives in-depth dementia training from day one. But we don’t stop there! Scientific understanding and approaches to dementia care are constantly evolving and we want to be at the forefront of promoting Continuing Professional Development. To keep up with all the latest in dementia care, our staff not only participate in regular refresher training but also have the opportunity to take part in other extremely rewarding dementia courses and events held throughout the year.
 
We’re really looking forward to some inspiring dementia training coming up on the 27th June – our enormously successful Learning Into Practice Workshop! This interactive session brings Care Assistants, Customers, community groups and individuals together in an informal setting to learn from each other through sharing their experiences of dementia. The opportunity to discuss different perspectives of living with the condition has proved to be extremely valuable for informing and improving care practice as well as building strong relationships. From the fantastic feedback we receive about our Learning Into Practice Workshops, it’s clear that this method of developing an understanding of dementia is incredibly beneficial for all who attend.
 
 
Improvement Through Collaboration
 
Sharing expertise is a very important element of what we do and we work closely with the Alzheimer’s Society as part of the Carers Partnership Wandsworth. The Society regularly hosts their invaluable Carers Peer Support Group meetings in our offices and we have also been the lucky recipients of a fascinating Alzheimer’s Society information session. In fact, as a direct result of this event we were introduced to the therapeutic properties of the Twiddlemuff! Not only did we learn about the benefits of these fantastic sensory tools but the Society very generously donated Twiddlemuff samples for us to distribute to some of our Customers. The close, co-operative relationship we have developed with the Alzheimer’s Society has huge mutual benefits and is an integral part of our ability to deliver excellent dementia care.
 
Dementia may be one of the biggest health issues of our time but with supportive, person-centred care we can ensure that people living with the condition can live well and maintain a great quality of life.
 
If you would like to know more about Bluebird Care Wandsworth’s Dementia Care services or have any questions about what we can do for you, please fill out our contact form or get in touch with one of our friendly team on 020 8877 4950.