Educating the nation – local care homes launch guide to create dementia-friendly community

Two care homes in Sutton Coldfield are launching a free guide to support people whose loved ones have been diagnosed with dementia ahead of Dementia Action Week. 

A poll of 2,000 adults carried out by Care UK, which operates Bishops Manor on Jockey Road, and Mercia Grange on Lichfield Road, found over a third of British adults (35%) have many questions about dementia – but do not know how to get the answers. 

The guide, titled Let’s talk about dementia, follows an easy-to-read Q&A format. Tapping into more than 40 years of experience of providing care for people living with dementia, it has been designed by Care UK’s experts, including Head of Nursing, Care and Dementia, Suzanne Mumford, as well as Home Managers and team members across more than 150 care homes. 

Aimed at those caring for a loved one living with dementia, the one-of-a-kind guide is filled with answers to the questions care home teams across the country have been asked by relatives or members of the community – from identifying the signs of the condition, and interacting with a person living with dementia, to everyday questions regarding diet changes and sleep patterns. 

It also addresses topics rarely covered in other guides, including behaviour changes such as swearing and loss of inhibitions, making it a unique toolkit for families and friends of people living with dementia, whether they live at home or in a care home. 

To mark Dementia Action Week, Mercia Grange will be welcoming pupils from Seesaws Day Nursery Walmley to help residents plant ‘forget me not’ flowers in the home’s garden – as well as taking part in a fun arts and crafts session. The team at Mercia Grange will also be holding a Dementia Friends session for the local community at the Sutton Coldfield Library, on Tuesday 17^th May from 11am.

Sarah Diamond, General Manager at Bishops Manor, said: “Our survey has shown that dementia remains a misunderstood condition, and so we want to help educate our community – which is why we’re excited to be launching our new guide, ‘Let’s talk about dementia’, right ahead of Dementia Action Week.

“Many families can find themselves feeling powerless when their loved one is diagnosed with dementia, and it can be a very uncertain time for those involved – but we are here to help. Our guide has been designed to reassure those caring for a loved one by providing answers to many of the questions they might have, but also to help educate others so we may create a more dementia-friendly community together.” 

Amy Barton, Home Manager at Mercia Grange, added: “We’d like to encourage local people to download a copy of the guide or reach out to us directly if they need any support, so together we can create a more dementia-friendly community.”

Mercia Grange and Bishops Manor have been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, and incorporating space for hobby and leisure activities. The care homes been configured to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.