Orders of St John Care Trust homes in Oxfordshire are offering relatives of residents affected by dementia a chance to meet up to learn more about the condition and how to improve the quality of life of their elderly family members.
The county director of Oxfordshire’s Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) whose care homes are at the forefront in providing specialist dementia care in the county, said more awareness of the needs of people living with dementia could improve the quality of life for hundreds of people across the county.
Dan Hayes, OSJCT’s County Director, Oxfordshire, said that the OSJCT fully supported the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Awareness Week (4-10th July), which aims to encourage more people to become aware of the needs of those living with dementia.
“OSJCT has led the way in providing excellent care specifically designed for people with dementia. Here in Oxfordshire, the dementia support group, We’re There 4U, is just one of a series of new schemes to help improve the quality of life for residents affected by dementia,” he said.
The We’re There 4U Dementia Support Group was set up last year to give the relatives of those with dementia the chance to meet each other, find out more about dementia and learn how they can build a stronger relationship with their family member.
The support group, led by Elaine Ratcliffe, Area Operations Manager, and Cristina Pashmi, Training Manager for OSJCT, meets monthly at one of OSJCT’s 18 Oxfordshire care homes in turn to ensure that as many families as possible can take part.
Elaine said: “The support group was set up to help families and their elderly relatives enjoy a richer experience during their visits. We also wanted families to understand how we, as carers, are trained in techniques that provide their relatives with a higher quality of life day to day. By working together, we can make a real difference in the lives of our residents.
“We have had a fantastic response from families who have said that it has enabled them to develop a better connection with the family member living with dementia. We have also had people join who don’t have relatives in an OSJCT care home, but wanted a better understanding of dementia.”
Dan Hayes said: “OSJCT has made a significant investment into ensuring that all our staff undertake specialist training in dementia care and innovative work has taken place within our care homes as a result.
“Initiatives such as Life History work and memory boxes help staff to get to know individual residents and their families more intimately,” he said. “This kind of care is focused on the individual and it means that the people we care for are helped to recall experiences and feelings of their earlier lives. This helps them to have a richer daily life.
“We also encourage our residents’ families and friends to understand the impact of dementia on their relative or friend and, through simple activities and techniques, help them to make a real difference to their relative’s quality of life.’
For more information please contact Catherine Dearden on 01865 202356.
-ENDS-
Issued on behalf of The Orders of St John Care Trust by Lava. For further information contact Jan or Steph at Lava on 01522 842 800 / jan@lavapr.co.uk or steph@lavapr.co.uk
To view all of Lava’s recent press releases or to sign up to receive them via RSS please visit http://www.lavapr.co.uk/press-releases or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lavapr
