We know at Ashmere that residents with dementia need very special care.
Our Extra Care Units are designed specifically for our residents special needs. Using the very latest research we have designed and build our Extra Care Units with dementia in mind.
Our units are purposefully small, containing only 12 rooms in a secure, safe environment. This helps our residents feel safe and get used to those around them and the space that they live in. The small amount of residents also helps keep the number of different staff who work in the units to a minimum. This helps our residents get used to familiar faces and to feel at home.
There are handrails throughout the unit. We well know that residents like to walk around and we want to assist our residents to do this safely. There are brightly coloured signs, mounted below eye level to help those with dementia find their way. Residents with dementia tend to look down and having the signs at this height should hopefully attract their attention. The vivid and contrasting colours should help our residents to identify certain rooms.
Our units have a continence strategy to help our residents stay as independent as possible. Toilet doors are red, the toilet seats are red to help contrast with the floor and handrails are red to contrast with the wall. There are red toilet signs around the units so that residents will identify with the red and know where to go.
All of the bedrooms have plain, unpatterned curtains and bedding to prevent residents becoming upset or confused by any patterns.
In the dining rooms we have menu boards with pictures of the food as well as the text to help our residents understand. The date is also written up with the season to help our residents keep track of the time. We also have a clock in the main lounge that indicates whether it is day or night. This helps residents keep track of the time of day and help them to get a good nights sleep.
The Extra Care Units are always active with lots of activities and trips out available. It is important that we stimulate our residents and keep their minds active. The types of activities we do are carefully planned and very much a choice for the residents, who are always asked if they would like to participate.
There are trips to the zoo, walks in the garden, watching films, exercise classes and all the usual things you can expect from any of our care homes. There are some extra special activities that help our residents feel at home, calm and safe, like folding laudry, shoe shine kits, doing dishes and other chores. It is well documented that doing familiar tasks can help residents with dementia feel calm and less stressed. There are many examples where individual activities are identified, for example one of our residents worked as a brick layer and staff found that allowing him access to some building blocks made him feel calm and relaxed, a blackboard was put on the wall for another resident who was a teacher and a shoe shine kit was purchased for a gentalman who was in the army.
Reminicing is a key tool used to connect with our residents. Flash cards help to bring back memories and aid discussions. We have reminicsing boxes full of items from the past like bicabonate of soda soap, spinning tops and old money that all spark conversation and help our staff to connect with residents and learn about their lives.
Memory boxes are made and hung next to each room. These boxes are filled with all sorts of photographs and keepsakes that help our residents find their own room. This is a very enjoyable task for families to do together as well as being an aid for our residents to help find their own bedrooms.
Our unit at The Firs also has Dorothy the rabbit to keep them company. Pets can have a very positive impact on residents and Dorothy regularly is allowed out to hop around and keep the residents entertained.
Our Extra Care Units are based at The Firs, Valley Lodge and West Hallam homes. Please come along and visit our homes to see them in action.