National Care Provider Supports Dementia Awareness Week

One of the UK’s largest not-for-profit care home providers has called for better awareness about the needs of people living with dementia.

The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), whose homes provide specialist dementia care to elderly residents across the county, once again pledged its support to the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Awareness Week last month (18th-24th May).

As part of the campaign, the Trust’s homes across Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire organised a series of special events for residents throughout the week.

Each year, National Dementia Awareness Week aims to educate people about dementia and those living with the condition so they feel valued, confident and can retain as much of their independence as possible.

This year’s theme – “Opening Up” – encouraged local communities to better understand dementia to help reduce the negative stigma attached to the condition.

Dan Hayes, Operations Director of OSJCT, commented: “Dementia Awareness Week is a very important campaign, and we’re happy to have supported it once again.

“At OSJCT, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional dementia care practices with an approach focused on individual care to ensure the highest possible quality of life for each of our residents.

“As an organisation, the Trust has implemented a series of initiatives to fulfill this approach. Not only do we employ three St John Admiral Nurses who specialise in dementia care, but many of our homes are being refurbished to include themed destination areas to promote greater independence and interaction.

“All of our homes run regular events, like Memory Cafés and reminiscence sessions, which allow residents to recall past memories and experiences.  Among other approaches, life story work is also a very important element of really getting to know each individual living with us.  This means we can build trusted relationships with our residents to enhance through well-being through both physical and emotional support.

“In addition to hosting a range of special activities and events throughout the week across all our homes, our home managers and care staff also reached out to their local communities to help build awareness and understanding of dementia.”

For more information about OSJCT, visit www.osjct.co.uk.