As we approach Dementia Awareness Week (13 – 19 May) Jewish Care is proud to announce that it is the first organisation in the UK to receive DementiAbility certification. Jewish Care has piloted the new programme at Jewish Care’s Kun Mor and George Kiss Home care home at Jewish Care’s Betty and Asher Loftus Centre which received the accreditation.
Jewish Care’s CEO, Daniel Carmel-Brown said, “We are so proud that Jewish Care is being recognised for leading the way in dementia care with the work of our professional and dedicated staff providing enhanced person-centred support. To be the first to receive DementiAbility accreditation makes our Kun Mor and George Kiss Home a flagship care home in the community and nationwide, providing an engaging and stimulating care home environment for people living with dementia. Being shortlisted as Finalists in two national awards for this programme is testament to the strength of this programme and the commitment of our staff to provide the best dementia care.”
In addition to the accreditation, Jewish Care has been shortlisted as Finalists in two industry awards for the new programme, including Best for Specialist Care Award in the Care Home Awards* and Dementia Trainer & Workforce Development Award in The Dementia Care Awards**.
At a celebration ceremony for the accreditation, Rachel Jones, Jewish Care’s Director of Care & Housing Services and Yomi Essiet, Jewish Care’s Registered Manager at Kun Mor and George Kiss Home awarded staff with certificates. Melvyn, a care home resident, unveiled the new DementiAbility plaque at the home together with one of Jewish Care’s Dementia Practitioners, Penny Johns who has been training staff with colleague Tamer Ali.
The training was piloted at the care home with care teams and hospitality staff who participated in two day training workshops. A film showing how the training works includes residents who are living with dementia as well as care and hospitality staff, sharing success stories since they put their DementiAbility training into practice.
The Canadian-born DementiAbility*** programme was developed by Gail Elliot, Founder and CEO who had a vision of improving the quality of life for people living with dementia in care homes.
Specifically, it enables care home staff to make connections between the individual, their life story, the environment, and behaviour to identify opportunities for engagement, making changes to create new stimulating activities, in addition to those scheduled, which support autonomy and empower the individual. The concept is evidence based, drawing on research from many disciplines including occupational therapy, activities, psychology, neuroscience, memory research, nursing, design features for dementia, social work, and person-centred care.
Yomi Essiet, Registered Manager of Jewish Care’s Kun Mor and George Kiss Home says, “It is great to see the residents being encouraged and supported to remain in control of their daily choices and activities of each day. The smiles on their face and their improved mental well-being we have observed is evidence that DementiAbility is working positively in their best interest.”
Penny Johns, one of the Dementia Practitioners at Jewish Care, says, “my goal is to develop, implement and support the best dementia care practice within care homes, based on the understanding that everyone has individual needs and the right to a personally stimulating routine that will help maintain their skills, self-esteem, and independence.”
“Identifying personalised activities that bring a sense of purpose is a key part of the programme. This includes sorting items with a personal connection to improve cognition and stimulate memories and finding tasks relevant to everyday life in a care home that can be done by a resident and can lead to meaningful interactions.”
Staff have put into place the popular Breakfast Buffet and trolly which has boosted independence, empowering people to make choices they always made at home.
The care team learned from relatives of one resident who wasn’t engaged in activities that he had been a taxi driver and had always taken pride in washing his car every weekend. They invited him to clean garden furniture in the summer so residents could enjoy sitting out. This occupied him with a sense of purpose and contentment, as did lending a hand cleaning up after flower-arranging and art, with the additional role of livening up the conversation with the group whilst cleaning up. His social needs were met and his relationships improved. A colleague tried bringing a bird house and screwdriver to another resident, linking enjoyment of DIY, creativity, and a sense of purpose.
Another technique that works for some people is Doll Therapy. At Kun Mor and George Kiss Home staff created a calm, cosy nursery area in one of the lounges and found that bringing the dolls to the residents also works when appropriate. Research shows that life-like dolls can have great therapeutic benefits for some people living with dementia, such as promoting relaxation and providing familiar feelings of comfort.
The success of Doll Therapy is not gender-specific and some residents are moved by the sensation of holding a doll, connecting them emotionally to a time when they held young children or grandchildren of their own.
Talking about the benefits of DementiAbility, Penny added, “I find it inspiring and rewarding to be part of Jewish Care’s team, pioneering the DementiAbility approach with my colleague Tamer Ali and supporting practice in our care homes.
“It’s about finding the individual, meeting them where they are, working sensitively and with empathy to meet human needs for connection, occupation, and autonomy. It’s about creating an enabling environment where the emphasis is on ability and potential.
“As one of our residents said so perfectly, ‘it’s about respect for what people can do, not what they can’t do, respect for what they’re trying to do.’
“In the future”, Penny continued, “I would love for DementiAbility methods to spread across other care homes in the UK and to apply the ideas within retirement living and for other carers within the community.”
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, there are currently around 944,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this figure is set to rise to 1.6 million by 2050.