Dementia Care

Often when a loved one is diagnosed with Dementia, there is a lack of information for those who care for that person and rather than immediately assume this person should go into a care home, we can offer an alternative – to support that person to stay in their home by offering scheduled daily visits or live-in care staff.

People with Dementia are likely to feel more comfortable in their own homes and may be confused by relocation to unfamiliar surroundings. By remaining in their familiar home environment, people are encouraged to continue the things they would previously have done.

We endeavour to maintain continuity of care to reduce what can be a very confusing time for the person with Dementia by providing a small team of staff with whom the service user becomes familiar and the staff can get to know the needs and preferences of that person to fully support them. Continuity is one of the best ways for a person with Dementia to maintain their quality of life.

All our staff attend induction training to heighten their awareness or their responsibilities. We also have set of internal written training guide detailed in supporting people with Dementia. This gives everyone the confidence and competence required to support service users at all stages of dementia.
Subsequently, core members of the staff team are supported to complete further accredited modules of training in dementia which are specialised and in-depth. The specialist team can support service users with more complex needs to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. This may be as the person’s needs change or, if taking medication, prompting and supporting to take medication at the right time and in the correct dosage.

Service users with dementia are supported in the same way as others with regards to their personal care, nutrition and also with mobility difficulties. Dignity and privacy are maintained at all times and service users are assisted with everyday tasks such as dusting, laundry, making a cup of tea, preparation of meals etc so that those skills are maintained for as long as possible.

Any activities which were enjoyed are encouraged and again, support is given to continue those activities i.e. knitting, gardening, arts and crafts, trips out for shopping or just for lunch.

The staff at Phronesis care are committed to the care of all service users so that their quality of life is maintained to the highest level possible. Person-centred care plans are developed and reviewed regularly and service users and their families are actively encouraged to be involved in this process.

We liaise with the service user’s GP, district nursing team, community psychiatric team and, of course, the service user and their family members to achieve the best outcomes for the service user at, what can be, a very difficult time for someone with dementia.