Telephone: 0800 988 8133

Website: www.osjct.co.uk

OSJCT/DementiaCareLeafletPack/Sept17

1 Des Roches Square

Witney

Oxfordshire

OX28 4BE

• Our Admiral Nurses guide carers and relatives

through the challenges of dementia.

• Specialist development work helps employees understand

how to support people to make the most of life.

• Designated Dementia Leads in each home promote excellence

in care and continued learning.

• Homes designed to aid living independently and encourage people

to reminisce about times they remember well.

• Life stories written down to help stimulate topics for discussion and inspire a

better understanding of people’s personalities.

• Localised Memory Cafés support those affected by dementia.

Leading the way in supporting people living with dementia

www.osjct.co.uk

Dementia care at OSJCT

The Orders of St John Care Trust is a specialist

in dementia care, offering an innovative but

practical approach to caring for people living

with dementia, and providing support for family

and friends through the transition of coming

into long term care.

We understand that living with dementia brings

its own challenges and each person’s experience

is unique; however, we are here to ensure everyone

can still enjoy an independent and fulfilling life.

We feel it is really important to know the

people we’re supporting and to ensure

that their home environment is designed

to be dementia friendly.

We focus on what people can do rather than

what they can’t, providing what is needed

at that moment in time.

For more information about living in one of

our homes or dementia care please email

enquiries@osjct.co.uk

or call 0800 988 8133.

www.osjct.co.uk

“My Mum has dementia and the Admiral Nurse here has been very valuable to me. With her help I’ve been able to understand and communicate more with my mum, and my love’s grown for her.” -

Specialist dementia care

Our specialist Admiral Nurse team at OSJCT

www.osjct.co.uk

We are proud to be one of the few care

providers to employ our own Admiral Nurses.

Supported by Dementia UK, these are specialist

nurses who can offer:

• a skilled assessment - carried out to help ensure

the needs of the family, carers and people

living with dementia are met.

• support groups for relatives and people in the

local community, to encourage learning from shared

experiences.

• emotional support, practical advice, information

and skills to help those living with dementia feel

more comfortable, especially when dealing with

feelings and emotions.

• expert guidance and support provided to our

care team to help provide the optimum care for

people living with dementia.

For more information about living in one of

our homes or dementia care please email

enquiries@osjct.co.uk

or call 0800 988 8133.

www.osjct.co.uk

“Life Story Work describes a biographical approach, which gives people the opportunity to talk about their life experiences. It involves recording aspects of a person’s past and present life with the aim of using this life story to benefit them in their current situation...”

(Clarke 2002. Bryan & Maxim 1998)

‘All about me’ The benefits of understanding your life story

www.osjct.co.uk

Your life story

Moving to a new home can be quite a big change for someone

of any age but particularly for people living with dementia.

To make a smoother transition and help people feel more

comfortable in their new environment we’ve created an

approach to help the care team get to know people better based

on the principles of Life Story work from Dementia UK.

• Life Story work is an on-going activity where we work together to review and evaluate individual’s past life events, developing a biography for that person. The life stories shape the care provision to provide person-centred, individualised care.

• We use it to help develop an understanding of a person’s past experiences and how they coped with changes in their life.

• Life Story work is a shared activity between the person, their family and care home employees as appropriate.

To find out more about Life Story work visit www.dementiauk.org

For more information about living in one of

our homes or dementia care please email

enquiries@osjct.co.uk

or call 0800 988 8133.

www.osjct.co.uk

Specially skilled employees Dementia care training at OSJCT

Dementia caretraining

We strive to ensure all of our employees have a real understanding of what it’s like to live with dementia

www.osjct.co.uk

• All of our employees – from carers to cooks – are offered dementia-

specific training, to help them understand the needs of a person

living with dementia. This means our teams are well equipped to

understand and support people’s individual situations.

• Each home has a Dementia Lead whose responsibility it is to make

sure everyone is up to date with the latest learning on dementia and

are always championing the best quality care. They attend special

workshops and and share learnings with colleagues, in order to

maintain best practice.

• Our care is centred around each individual, and their

unique likes and dislikes. We do this by finding out

people’s life story and individually tailoring care plans.

This also means we really get to know everyone so

we can chat and help them feel reassured.

• Everyone can still enjoy their favourite interests

and social activities. Wherever possible, we encourage

reminiscence to relive happy memories and events.

• Some of our homes specialise in caring for people

with the advanced stages of dementia, where we

employ managers with a special interest and

expertise in this area to help enhance people’s lives.

For more information about living in one of

our homes or dementia care please email

enquiries@osjct.co.uk

or call 0800 988 8133.

www.osjct.co.uk

Therapeutic Approaches The way we live

Dementia care:Therapy

Helping to make the most of life by providing therapeutic approaches for people living with dementia

www.osjct.co.uk

• We support individuals in keeping their identity and interests,

by helping to continue with daily living skills such as baking, sandwich

making and household skills such as dusting and polishing; enabling

people to be the domestic “goddess” that they’ve always been!

• People will have the opportunity to use their creative skills with arts

and crafts, helping in the garden or hanging out the washing.

• Using objects of attachment such as dolls, blankets and other items;

Attachment Therapy is another way for us to help provide comfort to

people living with dementia.

• Animals as Therapy: We have visiting Therapy Dogs in most of our

Homes; some Homes have their own pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits and

chickens. There may also be an option for people to

bring their own pet to come and live with them.

• We have sensory rooms that provide stimulation using

lights, colours, textures and other sensory equipment

to enjoy and engage with.

• There are themed areas or destinations to find

as people walk around in their daily routine; maybe

even buy something from the shop or go to the

hairdresser in the same way that they have

always done.

For more information about living in one of

our homes or dementia care please email

enquiries@osjct.co.uk

or call 0800 988 8133.

www.osjct.co.uk

Designed with you in mind

Specialist environment design

The design of the living environment has a big impact on people who have dementia

www.osjct.co.uk

• In our new home designs, we include small households so that there is a consistency of seeing the same people most days and it feels more like a traditional home.

• In our older homes, we have adapted and refurbished different areas in specific themes, for example an old fashioned tea room, an indoor potting shed or a beach scene. This not only provides greater variety but also helps bring back fond memories.

• We provide opportunities for people to maintain their day to day skills and continue with their usual lifestyle, giving them a purpose for getting up in the morning.

• We use colour and other visual cues, with signage and tactile decoration to help find their way around the home.

• We actively encourage people to bring along as many familiar items as they wish; a favourite cushion, a bedspread, treasured ornaments and photographs - so that they really feel at home with us. We will even help to hang any precious pictures in their room.

• We believe we’re providing a home for life and we will do all we can to make it feel like home.

For more information about living in one of

our homes or dementia care please email

enquiries@osjct.co.uk

or call 0800 988 8133.

www.osjct.co.uk

What is Dementia?

“Dementia is a decline in memory or other

thinking skills severe enough to reduce

a person’s ability to perform everyday

activities.”

Symptoms are unique to each individual

but usually include difficulty with:

• memory loss

• thinking, language and/or

problem solving

• orientation

• concentration

• everyday activities

Most common type: Alzheimer’s

Have you been diagnosed

with dementia?

We offer a safe and enjoyable environment

with great employees, including our specialist

dementia nurses, known as Admiral Nurses.

What We Offer

• We write Life Stories so that we may

better understand your past, present

and future to create the best care for

you in an environment you enjoy.

• Experienced and skilled employees.

• Some homes specifically designed to

help you excel more independently.

• Safe and comfortable environments.

• Supportive communities.

• Our specialist Admiral Nurses provide

expert care.

• We work with your family and loved ones for

better communication and peace of mind.

• We are here to help you carry out your usual

everyday activities!

Growing Together

www.osjct.co.uk

For more information about living in one of our

homes or dementia care please email

enquiries@osjct.co.uk or call 0800 988 8133.

Memory café

• Informal and friendly

• Professional speakers, group discussions and activities

• Learn more about memory issues, and meet other people who have had similar experiences

• FREE to attend (voluntary donations for refreshments)

• This group is open to ANYONE who has been affected by memory problems.

Feel free to simply turn up!

People affected by memory problems supporting each other

Held regularly at your OSJCT care centre

For more information, please contact

0800 988 8133 or enquiries@osjct.co.uk

Operated by not-for-profit charity The Orders of St John Care Trust. Registered Charity No. 1048355 • www.osjct.co.uk