Blenheim Court’s Dementia Awareness Training

In-house expert Dementia Trainer, Christine Elsley, has been busy delivering tailored sessions to Caring Homes staff, and it was recently the turn of team members at Blenheim Court.

As living with dementia affects not only the individual but also their family and the community at large, Chris holds additional evening workshops for relatives, friends and anyone in the local area with an interest in learning more about dementia. The feedback from two recent events at Blenheim Court was extremely positive with one relative writing to say:

“There are so many small but very effective things that I realise we can all learn to do when interacting with someone who has dementia to make life easier for them. Chris is an absolute goldmine ….”

Another relative visited her mother after having taken part in Chris’s event and thanked the team for the invitation to Chris’s training session, going on to say, “Chris was great, and now, so much makes sense. I’ve already put into practice some of the tips she gave in the session and felt so much happier leaving mum after seeing the positive difference these made to the visit.”

A Magic Moment for Joan

What’s equally positive is the impact that a dementia training session had on one of Blenheim Court’s residents, Joan Saville, who is living with dementia.

A curious Joan walked into a training session that Chris was just about to start. A chorus of ‘welcomes’ rang out from staff, and she was invited to be seated. Chris engaged with Joan and welcomed her to join the group. Usually, Joan prefers to spend time on her own, seemingly nervous and remaining on the outside of activities. Immediately after being invited to join in, she responded with a big smile and in the friendly environment, Joan felt accepted and relaxed, so she stayed.

During the training session Joan listened and participated in some of the activities that Chris had devised – simulating the physical sensations that are often experienced by those living with dementia – and gave her own feedback on how it felt. The next day, Joan thanked Home Manager, Sam, for letting her ‘help in the meeting she attended with staff’ and two days later, Joan attended the workshop for relatives, friends and the local community.

Chris ordered a certificate for Joan to mark her course attendance and presented it to her in a frame at the final staff training session – a very proud moment for both Joan and Chris.

Fantastic Feedback

Blenheim Court Deputy Manager, Kelly, said “this training is a magic breath of fresh air”- a deserved compliment for Chris, but the outcome also speaks volumes about the sense of camaraderie amongst the team at Blenheim Court, and the love and respect they have for their residents.

As part of our ongoing commitment to raising awareness of dementia in the community, Caring Homes regularly host dementia-related activities that are open to all – from informal gatherings over coffee to workshops and events. Find out what’s coming up at a location near you.