Understanding Dementia

Dementia describes a group of symptoms caused by a number of diseases and conditions, affecting primarily, although not exclusively, older people. Every person is unique and will experience dementia in their own way, although typical signs of dementia can include memory loss and difficulties with speech and perception.

Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually become worse over a period of time. How fast dementia progresses depends on the individual and cannot be predicted.

Symptoms Include;

• Loss of memory — For example, forgetting the way home from the shops, forgetting the names of people or places or everyday objects.
• Mood changes — This can happen when parts of the brain that control emotion are affected by the disease. People with dementia may also feel sad, frightened or angry about what is happening to them, but may not be able to fully express these feelings.
• Communication problems — There is a gradual decline in the person’s ability to talk, read and write. In the later stages of dementia, the person may have problems carrying out everyday tasks and may become upset and frustrated.

There are now nearly 850,000 people living within the United Kingdom with a diagnosis of dementia.

Some people who receive a diagnosis of dementia are able to live independently at home with support from a relative, friend or paid carer and may never need to go into a care home but for those that do, we want to make sure that the experience is as close as possible to the care that the person would have received at home.

Carer’s approach to dementia:
Care is rooted in our commitment to promote and maintain active lives; delivering care that is values driven, focused on independence and the well-being of each resident and their families. We want people in our care to feel supported, valued and socially confident. The aim of our dementia care is to maintain a person’s uniqueness throughout the challenges they face.

We know that helping and caring for people with dementia is a specialized skill and requires staff that are not only highly trained but also have patience and compassion in abundance. Our Carer’s spend time learning about the different types of dementia that the person may have and how they might best support each resident through person centred approaches as well as learning about a range of interventions that may help to reduce distress and promote well-being. Sycamore Care Centre also has a dedicated team of Champions who provide additional support and training to help develop awareness and knowledge of staff and families.

Our dementia care facilities are safe, homely well equipped and stimulating. We provide specialist activities for people with dementia which may include one to one interaction, trips out to local places of interest, interactive games, armchair exercises in house entertainment and sensory experiences which are very therapeutic. We also ensure that everyone has access to outdoor space which we positively promote in our beautiful grounds.