We Have Been Providing High Quality Live
A perfectly matched care team
A live-in care service usually involves two carers working a two-week rotation. They will be carefully matched working with you and your family. We make sure they are skilled and equipped to meet all your care and support needs. Our focus on matching means the care team chosen share common interests and backgrounds. We know this means life is enjoyable for everyone. Your care team really get to know you and your needs, which means you get consistency of care.
Expertly trained carers
All our professional carers are required to complete our leading training programme before they care for our clients. Our programme has been created with leading charities and clinical experts. It goes beyond mandatory requirements in the care sector. Carers are then equipped to provide high-quality care and support for those living with specialist conditions. Our carers never stop learning new skills to further enhance the care they provide.
Continuity of care
Unlike an agency we employ our carers. This means they are committed to us, as we are to them. Carers enjoy the security of being employed, which means they stay with us longer. Those who work for agencies move around more. For families this means that you get continuity and consistency of the same care team caring for your loved one. This means high-quality care can be achieved with improved outcomes and no disruption to your loved ones life.
In-house clinical experts
Innovative care technology
Be A Realistic Caregiver
Be realistic about what constitutes success during the progression of the disease. Success is helping to assure that the person you are caring for is as comfortable, happy and safe as possible. Most experienced dementia caregivers will tell you that the person they care for has good days and bad days. Try your best to foster the good days and even the good moments for the person with dementia, dont try to force them. Also, be realistic about the course of the disease. Remember that most types of dementia, including Alzheimers, are irreversible and progressive. Dementia will tend to get worse over time and there is no known cure.
Access To Specialist Supports
Access to specialist psychogeriatric assessment and advice in the management of dementia is important in providing good care for people with dementia. The advice of other allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dieticians or psychologists may also be very useful in attaining the best quality of life for the person with dementia.
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Choosing A Dementia Care Home
In most cases, the first step towards choosing a care home for someone with dementia will be to get an assessment from the local authority social services. This will make clear whether or not they need a place in residential care and what other options might be available.
Social services will be able to provide information about residential care homes and may be able to assist with finding a suitable home.
Even if the person with dementia is unlikely to be eligible for financial help with residential care home fees, it could still be worth involving social services. The information social services can give you, along with the assessment, is likely to help in making vital long-term decisions about care.
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Welcome To Heathlands House
Heathlands House, our new care home in Cambridge, which opened in August 2021 has been designed to exceed your expectations of care home living.
The experienced team provide a full range of personalised care services with the flexibility to meet every need. As well as permanent residential, nursing and dementia care, our colleagues offer sensitive and dignified end-of-life care. And if your loved one needs some extra support after a stay in hospital, we offer short-term respite care too.
Heathlands House has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge and dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities. There is a welcoming on-site café, comfortable cinema, and a hair and beauty salon for the perfect pampering session. Heathlands House is situated in a quiet residential area, with beautiful en-suite rooms and wonderful south facing gardens, your loved one can enjoy the highest standard of living.
Lets talk about dementia our latest guide is here
To help families at any stage of their dementia journey, we are launching our brand-new guide.
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Advice For The Public
A range of information and advice is available for the public, including:
- Dementia Guide on NHS.UK
- Dementia-Reducing Your Risk
- Reducing the risk is Alzheimers Research UKs leaflet on dementia risk reduction
- Quick Guide to Dementia is Alzheimers Research UK introduction to dementia, available in 8 languages
- Getting involved in dementia research is Alzheimers Research UK guide to getting involved in research and the opportunities available to people
Supporting Your Loved One As A Family
For many people living with dementia, the support of family, friends and neighbours is key to them being able to live well with their dementia.If youre providing such support, identifying yourself as a carer and seeking appropriate help is key to you being able to maintain your own health and wellbeing.
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Palliative Care In A Care Home
Palliative care is available in residential care homes. If someone with dementia is already in a residential home, they may want to stay there for their palliative care. This may make them more comfortable and less distressed than having to go into hospital, unless that is necessary.
You should ask if the residential home is accredited by the end of life Gold Standards network, which means that the home has specially trained staff and good links with local GPs.
How Can I Support Someone As Their Dementia Progresses
As a person’s dementia reaches its later stages, they become increasingly dependent on others for their care.
They may have severe memory loss and no longer recognise those close to them. They may lose weight , lose their ability to walk, become incontinent, and behave in unusual ways.
Not everyone will show all these signs, and some people may show them earlier on in the illness.
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What Does The Existing Literature Tell Us About The Quality Of Home Care
Although many people with dementia want to age in place, it is unclear what constitutes good or quality in-home care, in terms of which care models are the most effective, equitable, and accessible. The concept of quality in aged care is complex and difficult to define. It may include efficiency, effectiveness, safety, comfort, dignity, service accessibility, staff attitudes and behaviour, continuity and reliability of staff, clinical care, physical environment and choice . Ratcliffe et al. in a comprehensive review of literature pertaining to quality of care and/or person-centred care in aged care within the last decade, noted that most of the research in this area has focused on residential aged care, and not on community services. They found that the general public values an aged care system that ensures older people feel safe and comfortable, and are treated with dignity and respect. The general public also values an aged care system that provides services and support for health and well-being, and has a workforce with appropriate skills and training. Dyer et al. concluded that most innovative models of dementia care have little evidence of their effectiveness at improving care recipients outcomes, and still need rigorous evaluation before they can be implemented and scaled up for service delivery in the community.
Resources For Dementia Caregivers
There are many resources available to caregivers of a person diagnosed with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association will refer you to your local chapter for information, resources, and their hands-on caregiver training workshops.
“I’ve been to our local association’s caregiver workshops and to their monthly support groups, too. Every time, when I leave, I’ve learned something — techniques, strategies, things like that — and that I’m not alone in this,” says George Robby who is caring for his wife with Alzheimer’s in their Chagrin Falls, Ohio, home.
Other good sources of information, assistance, and support include your local Area Agency on Aging and, for those caring for veterans, the Veterans Administration’s Caregiver Support Program . Some senior care companies, including Silverado Senior Living and Home Instead Senior Care, offer programs and skill-building workshops at their facilities.
Show Sources
Ursula Braun, MD, MPH, director, inpatient palliative care unit, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center, Houston.
Karen Hirschman, PhD, professor of social work, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Jeremy M. Hirst, MD, assistant director of psychiatry programs, Institute of Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice, San Diego, Calif.
Greg Sachs, MD, chief of geriatrics, Indiana School of Medicine and lead researcher, IU Center for Aging Research, Indianapolis
Robert Matsuda, Los Angeles
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Where Can I Purchase Dementia Clocks
There are many reputable websites within the UK that can supply you with dementia clocks and other memory aid products.
AlzProduct.co.uk has over 12 years of experience in supplying dementia memory aids and products to both care homes and the general public. They have a wide variety of dementia clocks including digital alarm clocks, calendar clocks, and wall clocks.
The Alzheimers Society also offers a wide range of dementia memory aids such as dementia clocks and 100% of their profits go towards helping the fight against dementia. On top of dementia alarms and wall clocks, they also offer talking watches.
How live-in care can help
If you have a loved one that is struggling with memory loss or other symptoms caused by dementia, it may be time to consider live-in care. Live-in care from a professional and compassionate carer will allow your loved ones to receive the quality dementia care they need while being able to stay in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
At The Good Care Group, weve been innovating dementia care for over 10 years. Our qualified carers are trained beyond the industry standard in how to care for people living with dementia. From providing discreet, personal care like bathing and toileting to ensuring mobility around the home and managing and administering medications, our dementia care can enhance the quality of life for your loved one while improving their health outcomes.
Memory Loss & Other Symptoms Of Dementia
Dementia is not a disease itself, but instead it is a collection of symptoms which result from various diseases such as Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers disease, the most common form of the condition, is a form of brain disease responsible for those very symptoms.
As there are many different types of dementia, such as Alzheimers, Lewy Body Dementia and Vascular Dementia, the symptoms can vary. However, there are some common symptoms which can be found across the different types.
There are many different diseases which can cause dementia, however the four most common are:
Some of the most common early symptoms, which are often present before a formal diagnosis, are:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Struggling to follow a conversation
- Mood changes
Aside from these common early signs of dementia, there are symptoms which are specific to each type of dementia.
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Personal Details And Preferences
Personal details recorded in hospital about people with dementia helps staff to understand and anticipate their needs and preferences and involve them in decisions about their care. Our dementia guideline says health and social care practitioners should encourage and enable people living with dementia to give their own views and opinions about their care, and to consider using a structured tool to assess their likes and dislikes, routines and personal history.
In 2018/19, the national audit of dementia care in general hospitals reported that 97% of hospitals said they had a formal system in place for collecting personal information about people with dementia. However, when case notes were reviewed for the audit, less than two thirds contained personal information on the persons dementia. This may be because personal information is often held in other documents that stay with the person with dementia rather than being in hospital case notes.
Kitchen And Dining Areas
Eating and drinking are always important, but a person with dementia may lose their appetite and their ability to care for themselves in this way. The design of a kitchen can help a person with dementia to find and use what they need. If the kitchen and dining areas are recognisable, for example, with a clear lay-out and appealing cooking smells, this stimulates the appetite and encourages people to do as much as possible for themselves.
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Tips For Home Safety For People With Dementia
As a caregiver or family member to a person with Alzheimers or related dementias, you can take steps to make the home a safer place. Removing hazards and adding safety features around the home can help give the person more freedom to move around independently and safely. Try these tips:
- If you have stairs, make sure there is at least one handrail. Put carpet or safety grip strips on stairs, or mark the edges of steps with brightly colored tape so they are more visible.
- Insert safety plugs into unused electrical outlets and consider safety latches on cabinet doors.
- Clear away unused items and remove small rugs, electrical cords, and other items the person may trip over.
- Make sure all rooms and outdoor areas the person visits have good lighting.
- Remove curtains and rugs with busy patterns that may confuse the person.
- Remove or lock up cleaning and household products, such as paint thinner and matches.
Research Into Supporting Carers Of People With Dementia
Another major element in dementia care research is identifying effective ways of providing support and training to carers and family members of people with dementia. Carers face many challenges and are at increased risk of stress, depression and other illnesses. Research in this area focuses on interventions that can best support them in a range of ways.
Research shows that when family members and carers are educated about the disease and involved in the persons care, the person with dementia benefits. When the family and carer of a person with dementia understand the disease and learn how to communicate and interact with the person in ways appropriate to the disease stage, they are better able to reduce behavioural problems and improve the quality of life for all involved.
Carer interventions come in many different forms, and ongoing research is investigating which programs and components are most beneficial. Evidence supports the use of interventions that go beyond education to include various forms of psychosocial support, including counselling, training in techniques for behavioural management and participation in support groups. Studies show that such programs can reduce depression, anger, tension, fatigue and confusion in carers.
Dementia Australia has produced several publications based on the evidence for effective dementia care, or discussing research in this area:
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Tips To Help Cope With Dementia
Coping with memory loss and problems with thinking speed can be distressing. But there are things that can help.
Try these tips:
- have a regular routine
- put a weekly timetable on the kitchen wall or fridge, and try to schedule activities for when you feel better
- put your keys in an obvious place, such as a large bowl in the hall
- keep a list of helpful numbers by the phone
- put regular bills on direct debits so you don’t forget to pay them
- use a pill organiser box to help you remember which medicines to take when
Read more about living well with dementia in the Alzheimer’s Society’s The dementia guide: Living well after your diagnosis.
Stimulation: Rail Carriage Lcd Wall Feature
What is it? A wall backdrop that includes an LED screen to recreate the experience of classic train travel
How can it help? Founder of RemPods, Richard Ernest, secured £100K of Dragons Den funding when he took his innovative therapeutic products on the BBC show in 2013. His designs and products are all aimed at improving the quality of life for those living with dementia, including this rail carriage interactive wall feature. The wall decoration can be installed on any blank space to create the feel of an authentic train carriage via a replica framed window with an LCD screen in it, all set in a wallpaper background. The screen plays hours of scenic countryside footage moving by to mimic a train ride and the pop up environment it creates is designed to soothe and provide visual stimulation for those with dementia.
Where to buy it:www.rempods.co.uk
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Caring For Someone With Dementia
Those living with dementia can continue to live a happy and fulfilled life with the right care. If your loved one is living with dementia there are a few things you can do to ensure they have the support they need to continue to live their life uninterrupted.
There is a lot of support available from dementia groups from coffee mornings to day care centres there are many opportunities for those living with dementia to communicate with people in a similar position and get the support they need.
Advance Care Planning For People With Dementia
“Advance care planning” is a way to make sure that people get the support they want. Advance care planning means that everyone involved in looking after someone with dementia, including doctors, care workers, family carers and the person themselves, needs to think about, discuss and then record the persons wishes regarding their ongoing care.
By ensuring that everyone understands what the person’s preferences are, it is more likely that the person will be supported as they would like to be, even if they are unable to say this in the future. This is particularly important for someone with dementia, as it can reduce anxiety, which can be a cause of challenging behaviour.
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