Connecting Through Dementia
Connecting Through Dementia
Enabling residents with dementia to stay connected and live well has been the enduring theme of Colten Care’s dementia conferences this year.
The events in February and October continue a decade-long dementia-focused series, looking at the latest developments in dementia research and care practice.
Attendees include clinical and non-clinical team members, extended support teams from across the organisation, and subject matter experts.
“Each conference builds on the success of the previous one to inform our dementia care strategy,” explains organiser and Colten Care Senior Operations Manager, Peter Doyle. “It’s about giving our teams the tools they need to support residents living with dementia every day.
“We’re thrilled to have the input of a panel of family carers, who tell us what the journey has been like for them and their loved ones, and how we can involve them as the experts by experience.
“We hope what they say, alongside the contributions of our teams and the latest research, will become a cornerstone of our dementia care strategy going forward.”
The February conference, at Bournemouth University’s Fusion Building, attracted around 80 nurses, carers, and colleagues who work alongside clinical teams such as training managers, chefs, and care companions. This was built on in October, with over 100 colleagues attending The Village Hotel for the conference.
The theme was the importance of connecting physically, emotionally, and spontaneously with people who live with dementia, so they feel valued, cared for, and loved.
Since joining us in 2016 as Colten Care’s Admiral Nurse – a role created in partnership with charity, Dementia UK – Kay Gibson has helped lead and evolve the strategy to benefit residents, families, and communities around our homes.
To share her knowledge and awareness, Kay ran a conference workshop where she invited attendees to ‘put themselves in the shoes of someone with dementia’ and experience how the brain can deteriorate in the face of changing circumstances.
As well as Kay’s workshop, there were sessions on connecting through activities and with food and nutrition, both key foundations of positive dementia care.
Rachel Johnstone, Dementia UK Business Development Officer, and Fiona Pritchard, our Music and Arts Partner also presented at the conferences, sharing insights from their roles in local and national dementia care.
Expert panel discussions featured residents’ relatives including Helen Hyde and Lindsey Podger, who is also Secretary of Lymington Dementia Action Group.
We also welcomed Anne Ward Ongley of the dementia carers’ charity TIDE, Together in Dementia Everyday, and fellow dementia campaigner and advocate Danni Elster. Both Anne and Danni were also carers to their mothers who lived with dementia.
Conferences also featured question- and-answer sessions with Peter Berry and Deb Bunt, co-authors of a book charting a year in Peter’s life after he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia aged 50.
The Suffolk-based pair discussed valuable insights from their book Slow Puncture: Living Well with Dementia and how they have celebrated what you can achieve with dementia, rather than feeling limited by it.
Summing up the importance of conferences to our overall dementia care strategy, Peter says: “My aim for each conference is for everyone to have a key takeaway that helps them grow in knowledge, confidence, understanding, and insight.
“This way, ultimately, we will improve the lives of our dementia communities.”
