During my professional career I have worked with many people living with dementia and introduced a number of projects that celebrate the importance of animals, plants and children coming into care homes in new ways to create a good human habitat.
Read moreEdith’s Story: Building Rapport for Better Relationships
LISTENING to the voice of the person with dementia is often overlooked in reviewing quality of a service and finding out what matters for care planning engagement. It is frequently assumed that the person cannot answer questions, so instead observation rather than listening is the preferred method of mapping quality care for this group or using an advocate. This is all good and proper, but there are people who fall between the cracks, who can do more if given the right approach and conditions.
Read more1. Notes from Sweden -Summer 2019 : Intergenerational living
…she knew every aspect of the house and moved confidently into the respective rooms and just sat and became part of what was going on with her grand and great grandchildren playing around her.
Read moreThe Swedish Care home with a touch of Hygge
Largom is the Swedish mantra, meaning not too much and not too little, where the right amount is best and moderation is the key, a more manageable, way of life, which requires subtle changes in routine to create greater balance.
Read moreGardening: The wood wide web, the brotherhood of trees and the healing power of nature
Last week I visited 2 Surrey care homes who pride themselves on using their grounds and encouraging residents to enjoy nature, including a garden party with activities outside for people to enjoy, inviting relatives to join in.
Read moreHuman Creativity from the Ashes of Romanian Oppression
The purpose of my visit was to help Dan set up a new care home and realise his vision to bring excellence to care of older people who had been left on the sidelines to fend for themselves languishing alone in unkept communist block buildings. Here there was little hope for a better life than drinking, sleeping and watching TV.
Read moreThe Power of Nature and Parks
‘A walk in the park can calm and restore you. This is something we take for granted in parks and recreation, because we have known it to be true ever since we started spending time in nature’.
Read moreConversations that Matter: person centred validation in dementia care.
This experience had a great impact on her life. One of her greatest fears is being left/abandoned or being excluded from a conversation about things that mattered to her and a desire to please.
Read moreThe hospice: ideas for care homes showing design for compassionate end of life care
I had the pleasure of being taken round Princess Alice Hospice last week by Jane Berg, the Head of Education. I was impressed by the quietly joyful yet peaceful and friendly culture. Everyone was engaging and thoughtfully aware of those around them. The design is a source of inspiration for care homes designing for quality and relationship activated compassionate care.
Read moreJoining a GLOBAL mindful Leader in fulfilling his next ambition
It made me think of the film Awakenings- about the drug LDOPA and how it transformed lives. It seemed that people came to life when they attended the centre- a huge feeling of espris de corps. This self organising group were a delight and were proof of their Romanian culture and to share this with visitors. There is a sense of ownership and people coming and going.
Read moreSwedish care home for people living with dementia - international connectivity:
On a recent visit to Sweden I was invited to participate in a community event with residents, staff and families to an international feast - a Valkommen!
Read moreA FIRST IN SURREY…. Cranleigh joins in
People attended felt they enjoyed learning how to interact with empathy to someone with Dementia. Some had no personal experience but learnt about the need to look at the underlying feelings with learning Strategies and hearing about other experiences from within the community group from Cranleigh.
Read moreIKEA flat pack furniture finds its home in a different setting.....
high-low table is available in a general-purpose room in a Swedish care home I visited a month or two ago. It is used for a range of uses such as the obvious computer or other creative activities such as using a sewing machine open for both staff and residents to use. At the same time standing is improving static standing tolerance and balance using purposeful activity. This is a great way to maintain an older person’s functional capacity and prevent falls.
Read moreThe Culture worker in Sweden for Dementia: Spontaneous play and creativity in a care home.
When visiting a care home in Sweden I was fascinated how the manager had used her staff so creatively… This involved identifying other skills and experiences that could enrich Home life for the residents, and seeking to incorporate these in their job in the care home .
Read moreTaking your Clients on Holiday
A holiday may feel out of the reaches of those living in care settings. However, a care home in
Sweden has found a way to support residents to take a holiday and the benefits are far-reaching.
Rosemary Hurtley and Ewa Worlen explain more.
The Culture worker in Sweden: promoting a playful approach to daily quality of living in a dementia care homes using drama, music and creative activity
As a health and social care entrepreneur and practitioner it was interesting to observe a creative and open approach by the manager of a Swedish care home in finding out about her staff and the things that interest them, former skills and involving these in their job
Read moreBeing with people with Dementia... Therapeutic Communication Skills in Dementia Care
Rosemary Hurtley, Gina Awad and Julia Pitkin
I was privileged to spend two days at Nightingale Care Home in South London recently with a group of 18 passionate, driven individuals who care from the heart about dementia. Can you imagine what that felt like! The energy, the vibration, really quite profound and at moments so very moving.
Read moreTOWARDS EXCELLENCE: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN DEMENTIA:
A framework for transforming cultures and improving outcomes for people living with dementia
Read moreBUILDING THE CASE FOR SMART CRANLEIGH
What matters to you? Turning Passion into Practice
An overview of a community driven, bottom up initiative to meet the wellbeing needs of a large rural village the size of a town
SMART Cranleigh’s purpose is to improve community wellbeing by active relationships with providers of services; connecting, signposting and co-ordinating their accessibility for all the community
Read moreCARING TO CHANGE FOR TRANSFORMATION:
HOW LEADERSHIP STIMULATED INNOVATION AND CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR EXCELLENCE IN PERSON CENTRED CARE
Personalisation of care has been in the press and the focus of many health care professionals for some time now but the theory, practice gap is as wide as ever with many RNs unable to identify what true, high quality personalised care looks like. Given the complexity of care homes and scope of provision service providers, managers, leaders and senior staff at all levels of operation need to reach common understandings supported by evidence bases about what person centred outcomes look like from the separate but interdependent perspectives of the central player, the resident, the staff/practitioners and the relatives.
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