£30,000 Grant Helps To Boost Wellbeing Of Broughton House Veterans

A care home for veterans has hailed the impact of its wellbeing activities for dozens of residents living with dementia or cognitive decline.

Broughton House Veteran Care Village in Salford has been able to fund a variety of initiatives through a grant of £30,000 from the Veterans’ Foundation.

Led by Cheryl Monnie, an experienced care worker and qualified teacher who is the wellbeing and activities lead at Broughton House, staff have been able to support veterans with one-to-one and group activities to enhance their wellbeing and stimulate their memory and cognition.

Karen Miller, chief executive of Broughton House, said 74 veterans have benefited as a direct result of the grant being awarded in June 2022.

In an annual survey of residents’ family members conducted over the past two months, 92 per cent of respondents said their relatives’ quality of life had improved since they moved to Broughton House.

Karen said: “The support we have received from the Veterans Foundation has been fantastic for our residents.

“It’s enabled us to fund the continued employment of a wellbeing and activities lead, and for our dedicated care staff to work extra hours so they can spend additional quality time with each veteran who has dementia or cognitive decline.

“As our care home has expanded and we have welcomed more veterans to Broughton House, it’s been wonderful to be able to provide company and stimulation for residents with those conditions.

“We’ve also been able to provide training for staff to experience for themselves what it’s like to have dementia or cognitive decline, using virtual reality tools.

“It’s very exciting to have Cheryl as part of our team. She specialises in textiles and design. Textures and craft activities are particularly important and valued by our residents, as they provide sensory stimulation.”

“The impact has been reflected in our annual survey and we’re sincerely and hugely grateful to the Veterans’ Foundation for making it all possible.”

Veterans’ Foundation founder and CEO David Shaw said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing support of Broughton House. The Veterans’ Foundation is proud to play a part in the first-class care of British veterans living with dementia or cognitive decline.”