What do you think of when you hear ‘dementia day centre?’
There seems to be a historical stigma around what a dementia day centre really is, and unfortunately, what many people think of when they hear ‘day centre’ is an unloved, large, cold, community room where elderly individuals are sat around watching TV, waiting for the day to pass with little to no stimulation or personal engagement.
We are changing perceptions!
This is no longer the case with many dementia day centres, and in fact, in recent years things have radically changed and this perception is completely inaccurate.
10 years ago, most day centres were council run and didn’t have the money behind them to provide a service that was stimulating and reactive to the members’ needs. This is different now.
We have been working with new and exciting companies across the UK to establish what day care really needs, in order to provide for an individual living with the disease. We, in fact, prefer to call it an activity centre or a social club. Somewhere for an individual to come where they can get the stimulation and engagement they need and want!
We focus on wellbeing and quality of life
Retaining your loved one’s independence is the most important outcome when it comes to realising that extra support is required. Rather than seeing our dementia day care centre as somewhere for respite care and to take the pressure off the main carer, see it as a service that will greatly improve the individuals quality of life and hopefully delay the deterioration of the disease. It is a vital step to combating dementia.
We’re breaking dementia norms
We know that our members’ get much more out of their day if they are kept busy, here are some of our favourite activities at the centre:
- Animal therapy
- Arts & crafts
- Ping Pong (a Ness Centre favourite!)
- Dancing and singing
- Thai Chi
- Sharing food and drink
Our activity centre supports the primary carer too
We are not just a drop off service for those caring for someone with dementia, we provide primary carers and their families with a safe and supportive place to come for information and advice. Plus, we run specialist training courses to support you, such as our 5-week resilience course.
These courses will allow you to share your challenges and experiences with people in the same situation as you and gain tips on ways to cope. By sharing your struggles with like-minded people and experts alike, you gain resilience and ability to support someone for a little longer.
We’re innovating ideas that are shaping our future
Still can’t get the vision of a dull and dingy ‘day centre’ out of your mind? Imagine this…
Each room you enter at The Ness Dementia Centre has been thought out and researched, we stray away from dull washed out colours, and instead introduce a different colour palette into each room, which resonates with various different emotions, such as:
- Green – research has shown that the colour green makes a person feel more calm and relaxed.
- Red & orange – in contrast, red and orange stimulate the brain wave activity.
We’ve done our research and know what works, so we’re able to provide a menu of stimulating and engaging activities that our members take part in on a regular basis.
Our Ness Shed is our latest innovative service offering…
New to 2019, we’ve introduced The Ness Shed, which is open for the whole community to use, regardless of if you have dementia or not. With the support of our experienced care professionals and activity coordinators, members will use the space to take part in manual activities such as pottery and woodwork.
Located in the same building as our main dementia day centre, this space is anything but dull and can be used during our set classes that run on a weekly basis. Find out more about The Ness Shed here.
Ready to book a free trial?
So next time you hear about a ‘dementia day centre’, don’t just jump to conclusions about what service you’ll be getting. We are here to help and support you through the process, and a free trial at our centre may be what you and your loved one needs to get a better idea of what The Ness Dementia Centre has to offer.
Get in contact with our team here to learn more about our centres, or take a look at our recent reviews here to see what family members have to say about our dementia day care centre.