What members should expect at our dementia day centre

Full-time care isn’t for everyone, and for some individuals, with or without dementia, they will want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. With the right amount of care and support, this is totally doable and is where our dementia day care centre comes in. In this article, we explain a bit more about what our members can expect from their time at The Ness Dementia Centre.

Introducing a new routine

In a lot of cases, individuals may be cared for by just one person, whether that’s a family member or carer. This can be a tricky job to do full time, and in some cases, the individual won’t always be getting all their care needs catered for. This may be down to inexperience, knowledge or just lack of time, but, getting the right care can have a huge impact on the deterioration of the disease.

When a new member joins our dementia day centre, we introduce the new routine slowly, to not confuse them. This could mean we start the individual with just 1 day a week at our centre, and then establish the best plan for them. Some members will only attend our centre for a couple of days a week, others will come Monday – Friday. However often you choose to attend, you can rest assured they will get the same level of care regardless.

A varied activity plan

This is one element that really sets our service apart from what individual carers can offer those living with dementia. Our varied activity plan encompasses not just activities at our centre but also regular day trips in the local area. With the ratio of staff members being 3:1, we can cater for various activities at once. We understand that not every member wants to do the same thing, and each person requires a different plan. Whilst some members enjoy more practical one on one activities, others may develop better in a larger group. Here’s an example of some of our activities:

Arts and crafts – Research has shown that creative activities improve both mood and cognitive function and are a great way for members to express themselves.

Music and dance – Jade, one of our activity coordinators has seen the huge impacts that dance and music has on those living with dementia by improving their cognitive function, and is something that we regularly love to get everyone involved in. You may even see our members giving ‘The Floss’ a good go every now and then.

Animal therapy – This style of therapy has masses of benefits, including reducing the risk of depression, improving mood and general quality of life, increasing social interaction and confidence and being a calming effect for adults. We love seeing their faces light up when our therapy animals come to visit.

Specialist knowledge and highly qualified professionals

As a team, we are always keeping on top of the latest dementia research, and putting into practice new methods to hopefully slow down the effects of the disease. Dementia is a complicated condition, of which, unfortunately, there is yet to be a cure for. However, by introducing various methods to improve confidence, communication, and memory, we are able to hugely impact every individual’s life.

Our staff are trained to deal with the day-to-day life of those living with dementia, with many of the team trained specifically in different therapy techniques such as reminiscence therapy for adults with cognitive impairment.

Additional support for their friends and family

Not only are we supporting those individuals living with dementia, but we also support family and friends too, you can use us as your own personal dementia support service. Whether it’s information on how to aide your loved one in dealing with their disease or to keep us in the know about how they are doing when they are at home.

It helps hugely for us to know if you notice a difference after visiting the dementia day centre, as this can help us to establish which triggers are working effectively. Has their confidence improved at home? Are they more independent out of the day centre? Are they communicating with you more?

Access to additional services

As well as The Ness Dementia Centre, we also offer various other services which can be taken advantage of as a member…

• Home enablement – whether this is used alongside the dementia day centre or on its own, our home enablement works in a similar way. One-to-one support can be provided in the comfort of their own home, and sometimes is a good starting point before bringing them to the centre.
• The Ness Shed – new to 2019, The Ness Shed is a creative space that allows individuals to take part in short classes promoting manual activities such as woodwork, carpentry and fixing. This is also another great service that pairs perfectly with home enablement and the main centre.
• Links with local care homes – our connections with many local care homes means that we can make the best recommendations for full-time care. Many care homes use our dementia day centre as part of their care plan.

Book a free trial at our dementia day centre

Free trials are a great way to get a better understanding of our centre, our approach to care and meet our team and the other members.

Simply get in touch with our team to book your free trial by emailing us here or calling us on 01626 774 799.

We look forward to welcoming you!