When families and carers approach us regarding care for their loved one, the one set back that many people find is that they don’t have the experience or knowledge to understand the needs of someone living with this disease.
At The Ness Dementia Centre, we can pair our expertise and research with varied pioneering treatments and developed technology to aid the individual. Read on to find out how we use these treatments within our Devon dementia support service.
Today’s technology is helping individuals to be ahead of tomorrow’s problems
Technology is used more and more in everyone’s day-to-day life, and we have become so reliant on it nowadays that you don’t even think about the effect it has on your life. Well, for people living with dementia, we use technology both to enhance quality of life and to slow down the deterioration of the disease.
So, what technology do we use at The Ness Dementia Centre?
One aspect of life that a lot of people are worried about losing when diagnosed with dementia is their independence. We keep this at the forefront of our plans as we don’t believe lack of independence has to be definite. Technology really helps us to put this belief into practice, here’s what we use…
- iPads and computer apps – We have several iPads at our dementia centre and use them in a variety of ways. They can be a source of reminiscence, as a way to look back at places that people visited over the years, possibly on holiday or somewhere they may have been born or grown up. In many cases, songs or adverts can also be a way of remembering times in history too. We also download different simple apps which allow our team to work 1:1 and play a memory game, sketch a drawing, do a crossword or even play cards. There are a huge number of Apps now available for those with memory problems which we utilise.
- Virtual reality – Virtual reality is a really fun and exciting piece of technology that we have engaged with from the start. There is research to show that the use of VR can reduce anxiety and aid sleep. However, we use it for armchair travel, our members can choose a country to visit and immediately be visually surrounded by that place. We have also teamed up with an exciting new company trialing VR as a form of group therapy and hope to work with them towards the end of 2019.
- Specialist support portal – it’s important for us that carers and family members are also kept in the loop about how their loved one is doing, and what they’ve been getting up to whilst in our care. For this reason, we are working on rolling out a private members’ portal. This will be updated with everything from a member’s personal interests to their daily wellbeing and nutritional intake.
We use pioneering dementia treatments that really make a difference
Here at Atlas, we’re proud to work closely with the Ageing & Dementia Research Centre at Bournemouth University. This allows us to keep on top of the latest research to ensure that our members are receiving the highest level of care at all times. We prefer to use non-medicinal treatments at our centre, as from our research this has far better long term success. Here are some of the treatments our staff use at the centre:
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy
All of our staff are trained in CST which works on improving an individual’s memory, problem-solving and language skills. CST is done within a group environment and generally works best for individuals with mild-moderate levels of dementia.
The purpose of these group sessions is to engage and stimulate whilst also providing social benefits, ultimately building their confidence and improving their ability to communicate.
We also use validation therapy, reminiscence therapy, music therapy and creative arts therapy all well documented non-pharmacological treatements designed to increase quality of life and slow disease progression.
“My Mum gets very little stimulus at home and knowing that twice a week she is out of the house in a place that is stimulating and engaging, run by people who understand her condition and who truly care for her health and well being provides great comfort to all of us.”
– Julie, Daughter of a member at The Ness Dementia Centre
Ready for your loved one to trial our Devon dementia support service?
We understand that there are so many stages of dementia, and no two individuals will have the same experience of the disease. However, with the treatments, technology, and extensive research we have done, we have seen first hand the impact that our dementia centre has on every individual that becomes a member.
We have no set membership requirement so your loved one can attend as little or as often as you feel necessary, whether it’s just 1 day a week to allow you some well-needed downtime, or more of a full support service for 4 or 5 days a week.
Alternatively, our brand new service, The Ness Shed allows individuals to enjoy hands-on manual activities such as pottery and woodwork with the support of our care professionals in a safe and stimulating environment.
The best way to learn more about how our centres can support you is for your loved one to attend a free trial session. This will give you both a better understanding of the treatments we use and how it can work for you. Get in contact via email here or call our team on 01626 774 799.