Dementia Awareness Top Priority For Care Home Provider During Annual Week-Long Initiative
The Orders of St John Care Trust, which runs 68 care homes across Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, has once again supported Dementia Awareness Week by hosting a week-long series of events to celebrate it.
Taking place from 15th to 21st May, the week is run by the Alzheimer’s Society and was created with a view to educating people about dementia and those living with the condition as a way of helping those individuals feel valued, confident and able to retain as much of their independence as possible.
Last year, OSJCT ran a variety of events, including healthy walking, sensory and life-story reminiscence activities, which attracted hundreds of residents, employees and neighbours from local communities within the county to take part. Following 2015’s success, the Trust once again hosted a week-long series of Dementia Awareness Week events, including:
Apples Trees in Grantham arranging a ‘Sing For Our Supper’ singing event, along with ping pong and an outdoor walk on 16th; live entertainment and reminiscing with local musician Pete, along with baking purple cakes, bat & ball games and a visit from the Equine Learning Centre on 17th; a Purple Craft-making Day on 18th; Move It! Group and a visit from a PAT dog on 19th; and vegetable planting and reading with Huntingtower School on 20th.
Beckside in Lincoln hosting a visit from Park Day Nursery and an ‘All Our Yesteryears’ reminiscence session with Pat Clarke on 16th; a sports session with refreshments and Big Screen cinema featuring Gone With The Wind on 17th; Movement to Music, arts & crafts and live entertainment and sing-a-long with Sherry & Shandy on 18th; a trip to Pennells, a visit from Pauline & Lou’s Blooms gardening club and bingo on 19th; and a coffee morning and pamper sessions on 20th.
Windsor Street Care Centre in Cheltenham arranging a visit from Henry the Chihuahua in the AM on 16th; ‘Remember The Person’ Life Stories in the AM and mosaic-making in the PM on 17th; live entertainment from local singer Jo Jo starting at 2pm on 18th; Baby Club at 10am and a Making Of Me session with poet Jonny in the PM on 19th; Garden Walks in the AM and a Keyboard Concert at 3pm on 20th; ‘Wag for Windsor’ family dog show at 2:30pm on 21st; and Garden Walks and a Sunday Service on 22nd.
Millbrook Lodge in Brockworth arranging a coffee morning and afternoon quiz on 16th; a trip to The Range and a local coffee shop on 17th; a morning art exhibition in the home’s tea room followed by Skittles in the afternoon on 18th; an AM live show of Golden Toes followed by a fish & chip lunch and Skittles on 19th; Music Movements followed by a tuck shop on 20th; and a sing-a-long with entertainers Jayne & Cat on 21st.
Glebe House in Kidlington arranging Sensory Games for residents on Monday 16th; a visit from Pat the Dog on Tuesday 17th; lunch at Cutteslowe Park on Wednesday 18th; and a Songs for Reminiscence sing-a-long on Thursday 19th.
Larkrise Care Centre in Banbury hosting a 70th Birthday Celebration with live entertainment from Toni Casper on 16th; a Making Of Me ‘Dance For Dementia’ project on 17th; a dementia awareness coffee morning and sing-a-long on 18th; sensory potting and planting on Thursday 19th; and a Dance Afternoon on 22nd.
Athelstan House in Malmesbury planning live entertainment for residents on 16th; a Tea Party on 17th; a Health in Motion event on 18th; a trip to Malmesbury Abbey and Garden Centre on 19th; and street party bunting-making on 20th.
Bemerton Lodge in Salisbury arranging a parachute game and poetry reading on 16th; a Life Story workshop, as well as a visit from Charlie the Donkey at 2.30pm on 17th; nail care and hand massages, along with a coffee and cake afternoon with Liz the Admiral Nurse, on 18th; a Sensory Morning and a sing-a-long afternoon with Jim Gallagher on 19th; a skittles morning, followed by tea, cake and a chat about end-of-life care; a Reminiscence Morning, followed by a car wash in the afternoon on 20th; and Newspaper Headlines in the AM with a film in the afternoon on 22nd.
In addition to supporting initiatives like Dementia Awareness Week, OSJCT serves as a leader in dementia care within the UK, employing 4 St John Admiral Nurses who specialise in dementia care, along with incorporating and integrating state-of-the-art dementia design elements into both its new and older care homes. The homes offering dementia care are led by Managers with a particular interest and expertise in this area, and all OSJCT staff are given specialist dementia-specific training, accredited by the Alzheimer’s Society.
Kevin Hall, Operations Director, said: “With over 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, a number which continues to increase, initiatives like Dementia Awareness Week are something we believe very strongly in.
“We strive to continually enhance the quality of life for all of our residents, including those that are living with dementia, so we’re very happy about hosting a series of reminiscence events that not only helped raise awareness but also provided our residents with a chance to get involved in their local communities and meet their neighbours.”
