Introduction

At Andway Healthcare, we’re passionate about supporting care homes across the UK in providing the best possible care for their residents. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our new series: Care Home of the Month.

This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Hayes Cottage Nursing Home in Middlesex for their inspiring work and dedication to improving the lives of their residents with dementia.

About Hayes Cottage

Located in the west London town of Hayes, Hayes Cottage Nursing Home offers 24-hour specialised nursing, residential, and palliative care.

As part of Serencroft, a family-owned care home group committed to providing individualised care assistance and the highest standards of nursing, Hayes Cottage fosters a caring environment that promotes wellbeing and dignity.

The nursing home is situated in a peaceful setting with 50 bedrooms, many with en-suite bathrooms.

Improving the Lives of Residents with Dementia

Hayes Cottage Nursing Home kindly chose to share this story with us during World Alzheimer’s Month, an important time to raise dementia awareness and support people affected by the disease.

The nursing home is participating in the ‘Happiness Programme,’ a project run jointly by the Alzheimer's Society and Social-Ability, exploring how to create exciting and accessible physical activities for people living with dementia.

As part of the programme, Hayes Cottage was recently selected to receive a sensory table designed specifically for those living with cognitive and physical care needs. 

The sensory table, which provided care home residents with opportunities to participate in games and interact with personalised content using interactive light technology, was provided free of charge for three months, enabling the nursing home to evaluate its impact on residents' daily lives.

The objectives of introducing the sensory table were:

• To promote engagement and improve mood among individuals with dementia

• To create a safe and stimulating environment through sensory experiences

• To foster social interaction and cognitive stimulation

The sensory table proved to be a positive addition to the dementia care facility at Hayes Cottage. Residents who had been withdrawn became more engaged and interactive as they explored the table, and the range of sensory experiences led to conversations and laughter.

Eventually, residents felt safe and comfortable enough to play games together. The various activities allowed them to express their creativity and connect with others, reinforcing their sense of self and community.

Recognising the sensory table's positive impact on residents with dementia, Hayes Cottage Nursing Home, which is continuously exploring innovative ways to support their care, is fundraising to acquire one of its own.

Could Your Care Home be Featured?

To be considered for a future Care Home of the Month feature, we invite you to share your stories with us, contact us at marketing@andwayhealthcare.org.uk

Let's celebrate the positive impact that care homes are making on the lives of their residents!

The 16 to 22 May 2022 marks Dementia Awareness Week in the UK. Organised by the Alzheimer’s Society, it is the largest and longest running campaign by the charity and aims to encourage greater awareness of the condition. The focus this year is on diagnosis, with a range of ways to get involved.

Part of the purpose of the campaign is to dispel the many myths surrounding dementia, such as the symptoms being normal to aging. It is a progressive disease that damages the nerve cells within the brain, affecting memory, communication, and concentration, as well as personality and emotions.

For care homes, providing the right support for residents with dementia is crucial. While many of the initial symptoms are similar between patients, the condition can progress in varying ways, making individualised care provision even more important. One of the main considerations is environment.

Caring for Dementia Residents

Living with dementia requires making changes to everyday life, from washing and eating to hobbies and socialising. Care homes can support dementia residents by introducing small adjustments to interior living spaces, particularly those used most regularly such as the bedroom and bathroom.

Perception can often become confused, turning otherwise ordinary features into sources of concern – for example, having lights that are too bright or dim can be unsettling, or storing items away where they are easily forgotten. Working to an individual’s needs is important when making modifications.

Creating Dementia-Friendly Interiors

The safety of care home residents is always a primary concern, but for people with dementia, there are often extra requirements to help minimise risk. Additions such as non-slip vinyl flooring, fold-away mirrors, and soft surface furnishings can be included in rooms to prevent accident and injury.

Visibility should also be a key point to reduce confusion for dementia residents. Furniture should have a clear function and be well spaced around a room. Contrasting colours can help identify pieces from the walls and floors, while open or clear-fronted wardrobes and cupboards can also be helpful.

Aesthetics are also important for both practicality and wellbeing. Traditional styles and subtle shades of the ‘dementia colours’ – red, blue and green – can help with both spatial awareness and memory. Less is more as it can help reduce the confusion caused by clutter and create a more calming space.

Care Home Furniture Solutions

At Andway Healthcare, we specialise in providing a wide range of products and services suitable for care homes, including dementia-friendly options. One recent addition is our Contour dementia range of bedroom furniture, which has been designed with resident safety, visibility, and reliability in mind.

The Contour set features a double wardrobe, a three-drawer chest, and a three-drawer bedside unit. With handle-free easy opening, dementia residents can quickly and easily see what is inside, while the traditional style aids with memory and recognition. Every piece has rounded corners for safety and the bedside cabinet can be locked for security. Get in touch with our team to find out more.

When we are out and about visiting your homes we hear and see lots of great ideas and in particular see some of the most caring and innovative solutions for those suffering with dementia.

On a recent visit a member of the Andway team was chatting with a care home manager who was waxing lyrical about a facility called House of Memories www.houseofmemories.co.uk/ based in Liverpool.

Just a quick look at the courses they have on offer on all aspects of understanding dementia and how this can only improve care make it their site a must visit

This prompted us to actively ask other care homes for courses they had found truly helpful and inspirational and we thought it would be a great idea to list these too.

https://www.healthandsafetygroup.com/p/dementia-awareness

https://dementiatrainingcentre.co.uk/

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementia-professionals/training-consultancy

 https://www.bradford.ac.uk/health/dementia/dementia-care-mapping/

http://dementia.stir.ac.uk/

Last weekend saw Andway Healthcare’s Grace Harding take part in a tandem sky dive in aid of Alzheimer’s UK.

Grace always goes above and beyond to support her customers at Andway, so when she announced she was diving 11,000 feet out of a plane for charity, we knew she’d give it everything she’s got! Grace, who is terrified of heights leapt into action for Alzheimer’s UK raising in excess of £900 with her partner, a fabulous achievement and tackling one of her fears in such a breath-taking way, is definitely something to be proud of.

The dive took place over the scenic city of Durham and involved her free falling from the plane face first into a blast of icy clouds before her parachute opened - saving Grace! After a fast descent, full of adrenaline she landed safely and is now back down to earth offering her usual cheery and high standard of customer service

Andway Healthcare are very proud of her achievements and being very encouraging of staff charity were of course more than happy to support her with sponsorship. Alzheimer’s UK is a dementia charity that is keenly supported by the business who are in the process of creating a speciality dementia range to support sufferers to lead a more fulfilling and independent life.

If you’d like to sponsor her for her endeavours, please click here

Grace Skydive Video