Care home’s dementia training
A LOWER EARLEY care home has been getting friendly with dementia.
Residents at Austen House have been invited to become Dementia Friends in a bid to support others living with the syndrome.
The initiative is being supported by volunteers from Alzheimer’s Society, which has been running training sessions up and down the country to change people’s perceptions of dementia.
A session was recently held for Austen House residents, who learnt about the small ways they can help those living with the condition.
Natsay Dunira, general manager at the care home, said: “We’re really looking forward to making more Dementia Friends in our local community.
“The condition itself can be quite lonely and frightening, and the more understanding we have the better.
“Our team here at Austen House are always available to provide support and advice about care to anyone who needs it.”
RESIDENTS are “over the moon” after reconnecting with their loved ones indoors.
They have been able to reunite with one family member in their bedrooms.
Mr Zaheer, a resident at Austen House, said seeing his wife from the comfort of his room was “a special moment”.
“The staff here have been so wonderful supporting me to use video calls, having window visits and creating the visiting suite so I could keep in touch with my family, but nothing beats seeing my wife [in person],” he said.
A spokesperson for Barchester Healthcare, which runs Austen House care home, said it is proceeding with a “safe and cautious” approach to visiting.
All visitors must have a negative lateral flow test before entering the home, and social distancing rules are in force.
Ms Dunira said: “This is the first cautious step towards having a buzz of visitors in the home again.
“It was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents and their relatives.”
Austen House currently has a booking system in place to make sure visitors can follow the covid safety measures.
For those that are not able to come inside the home we are pleased to be able to continue to offer visits in our visiting suites or outdoors when the weather allows,” Ms Dunira added.