Educating the nation – local care home launches guide to create dementia-friendly community

A care home in Cheltenham has launched a free guide to support people whose loved ones have been diagnosed with dementia. 

A poll of 2,000 adults carried out by Care UK, which operates Sandfields, on St George’s 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 celebrate the launch, the team at Sandfields hosted an activity-packed week to encourage reminiscence and wellbeing, including a trip to the local garden centre where residents chose flowers to help plant the raised beds around the garden. 

The team also held an afternoon tea with a visit from the charity Mindsong for a sing-along to help reach those with dementia through music. In partnership with the local Riding for the Disabled Association, there was a special visit to see the ponies, as well as residents’ families joining everyone for a walk around the boating lake at Pittville Park.

Malaika Charles, Home Manager at Sandfields, said: “We’re excited to be releasing our brand-new guide, ‘Let’s talk about dementia’, to help our community understand what it’s like to live with dementia.

“We also planned an array of activities for residents at the home to mark the launch, including trips to the garden centre, Pittville Park and to our local Riding for the Disabled stables – as well as a lovely afternoon tea with Mindsong to top it all off. 

“We planned an exciting week of activities, and we’d like to invite others in the community to get involved by downloading their copy of the guide to learn more about dementia.” 

To pick up your free copy of the guide, contact Customer Relations Manager at Sandfields, Laura Sayburn, on laura.sayburn@careuk.com or call 01242 801 867. 

You can also download a digital copy here: careuk.com/letstalkdementia.

Sandfields is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia, nursing and short-term respite care. The home, which features 90 en-suite bedrooms, has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, bar, hairdressing salon and café.