Supporting Families Through Dementia At LuxuryCare
Nearly one million people in the UK are currently living with dementia. We know that a dementia diagnosis is life-changing for not only your loved one but the whole family.
If and when you and your loved one decide a care home will provide a better level of dementia care that they might be unable to get at home, support for the family can be scarce.
At LuxuryCare, we pride ourselves on our extended services beyond the resident to their family. As well as being at the end of the phone to answer questions, concerns or thoughts and providing day care across Bournemouth and Poole, we have started to run dementia workshops.
The aim of these workshops is to provide education and information to families with a loved one living with dementia. We hope that with additional information, they can continue communicating effectively and maintaining a strong bond with their loved ones.
A Day of Learning and Connection
The workshop took place at one of our residential care homes in Poole, Regency Manor. We transformed one of our rooms into an intimate workshop space with plenty of desk space for activities, note-taking and floor space to interact with one another.
The event kicked off with a coffee and chat so that attendees could get to meet one another and catch up with the staff.
We were thrilled to see that the room was full, with everyone showing a keen interest in gaining a deeper understanding of dementia and receiving invaluable tips on enhancing visits with their loved ones.
A staff member then took the attendees through an interactive presentation and some activities which shared thoughtful information that can be used to direct and shape interactions between the attendees and their loved ones.
Key Topics Covered in the Workshop
Throughout the workshop, we touched on several key topics that we often find family members question or struggle with. These included effective communication strategies, creating supportive environments, and engaging activities.
Effective Communication Strategies
Communicating with someone living with dementia is often a topic that resident’s families bring up with us. Knowing whether their loved one has understood what is being said can be difficult, especially if they are non-verbal.
So, we ran through a few tips family members can implement when talking to their loved ones.
These included:
- Maintaining a calm and supportive attitude
- Using simple and clear language
- Limiting distractions around the conversation
- Using non-verbal cues
- Asking one question at a time
- Giving time to allow them to respond
- Using visual aids
- Repeating information
Creating Supportive Environments
The environment in which an interaction with someone living with dementia happens will affect the success of the conversation. A care home can be busy, so getting this right can be difficult.
We wanted to ensure family members could create a supportive environment using their room and our facilities to facilitate positive interaction.
Our tips included:
- Ensuring safety
- Choosing a comfortable and familiar space
- Promoting independence within the environment and conversation
- Creating a calm atmosphere
Engaging Activities
Finally, we wanted to encourage families to participate in fun and engaging activities with their loved ones. However, this is another area of conversation that we often enter with family members; they are never sure what activities are suitable for their loved ones.
As well as covering the types of activities you can do with a loved one living with dementia, we also shared tips on how to get them to engage with them.
- Arts and crafts
- Music and dance
- Puzzles and games
- Gentle physical activities
- Reminiscence therapy
- Sensory activities
To encourage participation you can:
- Choose the right time
- Build activities around their interests
- Simplify instructions
- Be patient and flexible
- Create a positive atmosphere
- Give them choices
- Join in the activity too
- Adapt activities as you go
These tips were explained, and we were able to show examples of how to implement these into a conversation with someone with dementia.
More Support From LuxuryCare
The workshop has proven incredibly valuable to those who attended, and we are receiving some great feedback as they start to execute some of what was discussed when they visit their loved ones in our care homes.
Following the success of this workshop, we are hoping to put on other similar workshops across our other care homes.
Meanwhile, the support provided to the families of our residents continues to set us apart from other local care facilities.
No matter is trivial, so whether you have a concern, question, or simply want to discuss your loved one’s care plan, we are right here for you.
Call our team on 01202 037373 or complete our online contact form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
And don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next dementia workshop!
