'Dementia' is used to describe a progressive decline in a persons' ability to remember, think and reason. It is a condition most commonly associated with 'growing old' and it can be caused by a number of things which result in the death of brain cells in critical areas of the brain.

Borough Care is developing a set of approaches for our residential services to meet the needs of people with dementia and their families.

Dementia Care & Support

At Borough Care we believe that good dementia care is about having services with a positive culture that emphasize the quality of relationships and ensure quality of life for people with dementia and their carers.

We pride ourselves on a flexible approach in establishing services for individuals affected

Our commitment is to:

• Show that we understand the uniqueness of the needs of people affected by dementia and their families.
•  Work in partnership with local specialist services including local and national organisations.
• Provide high quality services and well thought out physical environments that are comfortable and that help people with dementia live independently, and in the least restrictive way possible.
• Provide care and support that is positively person centered, and that reflects the long term, progressive nature of dementia.
• Afford people with dementia and their carers, the dignity and choice that they deserve.
• Adopt approaches to staff development that promote understanding of the experience of a person with dementia and that embody good, measurable outcomes for quality care & support.

So what are we doing to deliver positive experiences for people with dementia?

Over 50% of Borough Care services are for people with dementia and the company has set its sights on making continued improvements to these services by developing a specific Dementia Strategy that encompasses evidence based best practice, education in dementia care and providing the right environment for people to live.

We believe that we have the right building blocks in place to become a leading provider of dementia services.

The best levels of care and support are achieved through effective and informed staff teams and good progress has been made, particularly in the area of staff education.  All new staff members undergo a detailed Induction course that includes an introduction to Dementia care, this is an introduction to our two stage dementia training programme. The two stage programme consists of a one day Alzheimer's Society course, 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow', and a two day Stockport PCT based course which we now run ourselves, 'Dementia, Working in Partnership'. We are proud to say that well over a hundred Borough Care staff have undertaken this training.

Over the year a baseline audit for the services to use for action planning was launched and a specific project group has been developed with the overall aim of developing a formal strategy for Borough Care that will take dementia services forward.

We aim to join the Dementia Action Alliance which is made up of over 73 organisations committed to transforming the quality of life of people living with dementia in the UK and the millions of people who care for them.  Going forward we will be looking at ways to involve people with dementia and their families in developing and improving our dementia service.

Borough Care understands that professional carers are only a part of the care and support that a person with dementia needs.  This year Borough Care was invited to participate in a European Research programme being undertaken by the University of Manchester.  The study entitled: 'Right Time, Place, Care' is funded by the European Union, and is being conducted in eight countries for the next three years.  The purpose of the study is to look at the best ways of meeting the needs of older people with dementia and their informal caregivers. It aims to identify the best available health outcomes by measuring the quality of life and quality of care of older people receiving care at home and those living in long-term care homes. The findings will inform the development of best practice strategies across Europe for long term dementia care tailored to individual need.

For further information please visit: www.righttimeplacecare.eu

Overall at Borough Care we aim to ensure that everyone who uses our services is afforded the dignity and respect, care and compassion that they deserve.

For further information on our dementia services please contact:  Margaret Amara Operations Manager or Kathryn Farmer CEO on 0161 475 0140