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Colten Care welcomes national dementia care report
December 19, 2011
LEADING dementia care specialist Colten Care has welcomed government plans to improve the hospital treatment of people with the illness.
Responding to a national clinical audit by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said hospitals would be encouraged to improve care through earlier patient screening.
Colten Care, which runs 18 care and dementia homes across Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire, is already at the forefront of dementia care in the community care sector.
Operations Manager June Gallagher said: “Both the Royal College report and the Minister’s response highlight the vital importance of person centred care and the need for the NHS and social care services to work closer together.
“As a specialist in providing dedicated dementia care we understand the importance of dementia training. While all forms of dementia are progressive, with the right care it is possible to achieve significant improvements to enrich quality of life.
“We work closely with specialist agencies to agree what is current best practice and to raise awareness. Our approach is to help residents maintain their independence, capabilities and skills for as long as they can.
“Our dementia training programme, developed in conjunction with and accredited by Bournemouth University, is mandatory for all staff who work in our dementia homes. It is aimed at educating them to understand better what dementia is and how it impacts on the person living with it. The overriding objective of the course is to help our staff see beyond the dementia to the person within.
“We also design and build care homes specifically for dementia residents. There are many features that can be built into a home to create a therapeutic environment. These include theme rooms, memory boxes, signage, pictures and the use of colours. Our experience has helped us refine what has proven beneficial and integrate these into the design of our homes.
“There is no perfect answer to dementia care. It requires continual listening, learning and evaluation. Any organisation involved with dementia must have this at the heart of their culture.”
Founded in 1989, Colten Care employs 1,300 people and offers a range of services including specialist dementia, residential and nursing care.
Colten Care currently has 161 dedicated dementia beds in its homes. A new-build dementia care home will open in Winchester, Hampshire, in spring 2012 providing another 56 dementia beds.
For more information from Colten Care, visit www.coltencare.co.uk.
For the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ report, visit http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/NATIONAL%20REPORT%20-%20Full%20Report%200512.pdf.
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