To mark Dementia Action Week we take a look at what dementia care looks like at OSJCT and how our commitment to providing compassionate specialist support is having an impact.

Creating a culture of care

Our Dementia Care Framework (DCF) brings together best practice, lived experience and learning from across our homes, shaped by colleagues, volunteers, residents, families and partners including Dementia UK. It reflects both the standards we expect of ourselves and our aspirations to continually improve dementia care across the Trust.

Colleagues working within our homes receive face-to-face dementia training delivered by our Learning and Development Officers. In our Living Well with Dementia Workshop we draw on years of experience to bring the content to life, allowing colleagues to build confidence, share experiences and apply learning in real situations.

Our Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) training is currently being rolled out more widely across the Trust following a successful pilot in Buckinghamshire. This training focuses on communication, emotional responses and fully understanding the reasons behind the distressed behaviours of those that we care for. It explores the best way to support, prepare and respond to a variety of situations rather than just react. 

One colleague recently shared how the training changed the way she approached situations not only at work, but at home too:

“It was so positive, so informative and helpful. I feel much richer, I think I really needed this training.. now I know where I went wrong and how much power I had to change things.. I realised last night how much it applies to life in general.”

Find out more about the dementia care we provide at OSJCT here

Specialist support that makes a real difference

OSJCT is one of only the only care providers in the country to directly employ Admiral Nurses, specialist dementia nurses supported by Dementia UK who provide expert guidance and emotional support to residents, families and colleagues

For families navigating dementia, having access to someone with specialist knowledge can be invaluable. Whether supporting relatives through a diagnosis, helping them understand changes in behaviour or simply being there to listen, Admiral Nurses provide reassurance during what can often be an incredibly difficult time.

They also play a key role in supporting colleagues across OSJCT homes, helping to strengthen dementia care, share best practice and build confidence within teams. 

Hear more from Lead Admiral Nurse – Angie Williams here and read her recent Interview in the February edition of Caring Times (pages 54 and 55).

Going above and beyond

The passion colleagues have for dementia care can also be seen beyond the day-to-day support provided within our homes. Recently, a member of the team at Wing View Care Centre in Buckinghamshire completed a skydive and raised more than £1,000 for Dementia UK — an incredible achievement and a brilliant example of the commitment colleagues across OSJCT have to supporting people affected by dementia. It is this willingness to go above and beyond that reflects the culture across our homes.

Helping people live well

At OSJCT, dementia care is about far more than meeting practical needs. It is about helping people continue to feel valued, connected and themselves. Across our homes, colleagues support residents through meaningful activities and everyday interactions that promote comfort, familiarity and wellbeing -  whether that is through music or art sessions, shoebox stories, gardening and Trust-wide initiatives such as Trust in Bloom, sensory experiences or simply sitting together for a conversation and a cup of tea, the focus is always on the person and those closest to them, not just the diagnosis.