Care Staff of the Quarter!
We have introduced a new scheme, recognising members of our staff that go above and beyond. The 1st winner was… Lea-Ann, for decorating the home as a surprise & making favours for all the residents for the Royal Wedding.
Supporting HCPA Good Care Month
Enid spent time decorating an amazing cake and was delighted to hear that she came 2nd in the HCPA (Hertfordshire Care Providers Association) ‘Bake Off’ competition.
The cake was then cut, eaten and enjoyed by all – we held a coffee morning in July where we invited members of the local Chamber of Commerce to come and visit us and to look around the home as part of HCPA’s drive to get local businesses involved.
Angie Joins the Activity Team
We are pleased to announce that Angie will be working alongside Lea-Ann in delivering our Activities programme.
5 Key Messages Regarding Dementia
With Herts Care Provider’s Association running a Good Care Month, it has prompted us to introduce an additional section to the Newsletter from time to time where we can share additional information with you that we hope you will find interesting and useful.
We are starting this month with some information from the Dementia Friend’s information sessions, to give those of you that haven’t been able to attend a session some insight into the key messages they are trying to get across to 4million people by 2020 to make life easier for anyone living with dementia, or caring for someone with dementia.
- Dementia is not a natural part of ageing – Not everyone who grows old will develop dementia. Not everyone who develops dementia is old. People in their 20’s have been diagnosed with dementia, although this is very rare.
- Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain – In the same way that any other organ can be damaged by disease (for example kidney or liver disease) dementia is caused when diseases physically damage the brain. Imagine the brain is a collection of fairy lights, each representing a memory, a skill or a function of the brain. Now imagine that dementia is causing some of those lights to flicker, dim or switch off completely. For each person this will happen in a different order and different ‘lights’ will be affected.
- Dementia is not just about losing your memory – Any function that the brain controls could be affected, possible examples include communication (forgetting words or using the wrong words), motor skills (not being able to use a knife and fork), sequencing (difficulties with performing a task, i.e. putting on two jumpers but no skirt).
- It is possible to live well with dementia – People with dementia may still be able to work, drive and have relationships. What they can do and how long they can do it for will depend on their particular circumstances. Living well will mean different things for different people. We’re not saying that dementia doesn’t bring challenges, but despite these challenges it is still possible to live well with dementia.
- There is more to the person than the dementia – In the same way that we would look at someone with cancer or diabetes and see a person first, there is more to a person than dementia.
