Wokingham and Bracknell Lifestyle Apr - May 2020

Living with Dementia
Is Living First and
Foremost
The care home stereotype for people with
cognitive difficulties has been where
residents merely had their physical care
needs met by poorly trained staff...
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This is now changing and Astbury Manor Care Home in Bracknell
is leading the way with leading memory care called ReConnectR
developed by the Avery Healthcare Group.
Previous approaches to ‘dementia-friendly’ care often focused
on the use of bright colours in child-like environments, to
stimulate, orientate and occupy residents, now recognised as
less helpful. Latest research reinforces that a normal and homely
care environment with considered adaptations and adjustments
is more supportive to a person struggling to make sense of a
world that is progressively unclear. A true dementia-friendly
environment is simply a familiar and supportive one, of people
who are friends to the resident.
The difficult experience of moving into care should be seen as
the next stage of a person’s life rather than the end of ‘normal’
living, with familiarity and preferred routines maintained. As well
as keeping people safe, continuing to engage in the process of
life is essential, regardless of cognitive decline.
A skilled team to meet the complex care and support needs of
people living with dementia is essential; without that they are
at risk of failing those who rely upon them most. Dementia may
mask the life experiences and a person’s unique characteristics,
but never removes them completely, and staff training at
Astbury Manor supports that a single approach does not fit all in
dementia care.
Contemporary research, a broader understanding of cognitive
impairment and listening to the views of those living with
dementia, means that care cultures are changing, and the
memory care environment at Astbury Manor reflects all of that for
the benefit of the residents and their families.
For more search ‘Astbury Manor Care’ online or Facebook.
Live-in care can be a
better solution