B&M Care Homes a guide to selecting a dementia care home - www.bmcare.co.uk
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B&M Care Homes a guide to selecting a dementia care home www.bmcare.co.uk
Foreword
Reaching the decision to find a care home for a person living
with a dementia is difficult - choosing the right home can be
an overwhelming experience.
How do we identify a care home with the right expertise
in caring for people who live with dementia? How will we
recognise what constitutes good dementia care? These are
natural questions.
“We had no previous experience of looking at
care homes and did not know where to start and
what to look for”
This booklet is a guide to help you to better understand what to look for in dementia
care. It highlights how B&M Care homes consistently deliver high standards of quality
dementia care and details what you should look for when choosing a care home.
We hope you find this information helpful.
Kind regards,
William J Hughes
Chairman
B&M Care
About B&M Care B&M Investments Ltd was established in 1972 by Chairman Mr William J Hughes who purchased his very first home in St Albans in 1975. B&M Care operate over 20 homes and with 40 years’ experience of caring for older people and people who live with a dementia, we have a real understanding of their needs. B&M Care are committed to our policy of quality. For us that means delivering quality care and service in high quality environments. For you it means value for money and peace of mind that every resident’s needs are being met in the best possible way. We trust that this guide will give you the reassurance that when it comes to looking after older people, B&M Care, with its experienced and trained staff and high quality homes, is committed to delivering the highest standards of person centred care.
What does good care look like, feel like
and sound like at a B&M Care Home?
a person centred care approach
At B&M Care, we offer homes of Our environments are homely, “We value and
excellence, and with this comes and adapted to meet the needs
empower our residents
the company’s philosophy that all of our residents. You will find an
residents should live in a home that array of ‘things to do’, appropriate and promote their
adopts the person centred approach. memorabilia, clutter, and sensory individuality because
But what does this all mean? objects. All bedroom doors to us, everyone is
have photos of the person to
unique”
For us, to be ‘person centred’, aid orientation, memory boxes
means that our care homes and other similar items fill the
take a cohesive approach and corridors. Our homes offer a home
embrace social history, resident’s from home, a place of comfort,
background and individual tranquillity and life.
personalities. The person centred
concept was developed by the At B&M we solely employ the
late Tom Kitwood who fostered person centred model of care, and
the idea that we should see the with this we find that relationships
whole person - not the diseased between residents and all staff –
brain, and that we should focus including administrative, domestic,
on residents’ remaining physical kitchen and maintenance – are
abilities, cognitive abilities and reinforced, which is fundamental to
emotions - not on their losses a residents’ sense of wellbeing.
(Kitwood, 1997). With this in
mind, B&M Care have also found Furthermore, we support residents,
that by embracing a resident’s we do not manage them. We view
life history, drawing on their residents behaviours as forms of
life experiences and organising communication and by delivering
activities around this, can increase individualised activities and
their wellbeing and sense of lifestyle, residents are more relaxed
contentment. and contented.
B&M Care’s Approach to Dementia Care
How we deliver person centred care
Our aim is to make every moment Provide activities and occupation to recognise and respond to the
count for a person living with a which relate to an individual’s emotional needs of residents
dementia, and to operate within past life by: • regular supervision and
a framework that supports the • gathering a life history for each appraisals
National Dementia Strategy resident from the resident, their • ensuring staff have an
(2009) and the Mental Capacity family and friends understanding of effective
Act (2005). To ensure residents • valuing our residents for who communication of behaviours.
live well with dementia our they really are and responding to
approach takes into account that individual preferences Support our managers to be
B&M Care Homes shall: • supporting residents to live in inspiring leaders in the field of
the here and now by embracing dementia care by:
Adopt a person centred approach their reality • supporting managers to
to delivering quality care by: • ensuring that a persons preferred work within a person centred
• focussing on the individual, activities are integrated into their framework
rather than focussing on their care plan. • guiding managers to identify and
illness or abilities appoint team leaders/seniors to
• taking into account each Train and develop staff to enable create a leadership team
individual’s unique qualities, and equip them to deliver person • providing platforms to share
interests, preferences, feelings centred dementia care by: ideas and encourage mentoring
and emotional needs • recruiting staff that have a and peer support.
• not readily advocating the use of natural ability to connect with
anti-psychotic medication people and wear their heart on Foster an all-encompassing
• treating residents with dignity their sleeve approach that involves families
and respect. • training staff in three levels of and close friends of residents in
dementia care the day- to-day decisions of the
• ensuring that staff have a clear home by:
understanding on an individual’s • undertaking regular review
life history, routines and interest meetings
• training staff to understand how
• offering information, support • e ncouraging residents to do to help people to live well - groups and sharing knowledge things for themselves pictorial menus, orientation • operating an open and •u nderstanding that choice is a signage, light corridors, memory transparent service way of promoting freedom and boxes, land marks • welcoming feedback from maintaining a sense of control • providing an adapted families and self-worth environment with easy access • yearly Quality Assurance audits. • providing an open house. to the outdoors. Promote and maintain a sense of Provide comfort and inclusion in Our staff recognise and are freedom, ensuring residents are enabling surroundings by: committed to the continuous empowered to make informed • c reating a home from home, development of standards of choices about their lives and the family atmosphere in a tastefully dementia care and support the care they receive by: decorated environment with soft values outlined by B&M Care to • providing residents the furnishings enhance the lives of those who opportunity to take part in • e ncouraging residents to bring live at their homes. Many of our decisions about their care familiar items with them to homes have ‘Dementia Care • help and support to make create a sense of security Accreditation’ with Hertfordshire choices •p roviding enabling environments County Council.
What to look for when selecting a home
a checklist
Some homes will provide care in pleasant décor and furnishings? • are staff responding to residents’
more than one category, B&M • does the home have positive feelings and behaviours?
Care homes offer Residential Care smells like cooking, fresh air? • do you hear staff going with the
and Dementia Care. Care homes • is knowledge about dementia individual’s reality?
can only provide care for the care displayed in terms of books • is there evidence of staff training,
categories they have registration or journals? like certificates of achievement?
for and all homes have to comply • are key workers allocated?
with legislation; the regulatory Residents: • do you get the impression that
body for England, The Care • are residents chatting and people’s past lives and memories
Quality Commission. Accessing involved in activities? matter to the staff?
their reports can be helpful in • are the residents properly dressed
ascertaining the quality of care. and well groomed? Bedrooms:
• do the residents talk to you as • is there pleasant décor and
The following points are you walk around? furnishings?
considered to be indicators of • do the residents seem occupied • are you able to bring your own
quality care. We offer them to you and busy? items of furniture and personal
here as a checklist to use when • talk to other residents on your belongings into the home?
considering our homes or indeed visit –are they happy? • do staff respect privacy by
any other home. • do residents appear happy, knocking on bedroom doors?
content and comfortable? • are there individual room
First impressions: indicators to assist people in
• are the outside areas cared for Staff: finding their own room?
and well presented? • do the staff talk to you as you
• is the atmosphere homely, family walk around?
orientated and welcoming? • are the staff well presented?
• is there a sense of residents • do staff speak to residents in a
and staff living and working way the resident likes? Does it
alongside, like a family? feel right?
• is the home clean, tidy, have
Activities:
• are residents occupied in doing
things?
• what opportunities are there for
residents to pursue their chosen
activities and interests?
• does the home provide tailored
activities that are suitable and
engaging for residents with
dementia?
• are there opportunities for
residents to help staff with small
tasks if they wish?
• are activities available each day?
• Are residents encouraged to take
exercise?
Meals: orientate people and provide • are there outings and is the
• is there a choice of menu and occupation and conversation home involved in the wider
how often is it reviewed? points? community?
• are special diets catered for? Can • does it give you the feeling of • how does the home support
you see the current menu? being at home? cultural differences?
• can residents eat in their rooms • is there a TV or radio left on
and at different times if they when no one is watching or Person Centred Care:
prefer? listening? • does the home feel like a place
• can residents snack at any time if • are chairs arranged in groups where people really matter?
they wish? to encourage social interaction • what is the home’s person
• are staff trained to sensitively rather than placed in a circle centred care philosophy? Ask
assist people to eat if necessary. round the outside of the room? questions about it.
• is the garden accessible, user • does the home have a dementia
Main environment: friendly and safe? care accreditation?
• is the home well ‘sign posted’ to • are there private or quiet places • ask how a person’s care plan
assist residents who live with a for families to visit? is put together. It should
dementia? summarise how staff can
• are there objects and items in encourage and maintain the
corridors and on walls to help unique strengths of the personwhile meeting his or her needs residents out or join them for a • are they knowledgeable about
for support. It should include meal? dementia?
involving the family, friends and • are families and friends • is the manager knowledgeable
other professionals to encompass supported to become involved about care fees management,
the widest knowledge of the in the life of the home – e.g. a social services support?
resident. This should be reviewed relatives group? • do you feel you would be able
regularly. • are family and friends supported to talk to the manager and staff
to understand the journey of about how you feel?
Safety & Security: dementia?
• what security measures are in • what does the home do to
place to keep residents safe? support families of those who
• what measures are taken to live with a dementia? Workshops,
reduce falls? seminars, focus groups etc.
• how might a resident call if they
need help? Manager:
• is the manager friendly with staff,
Families: residents and families?
• are visitors welcome anytime? • are they open with answering
• are visitors encouraged to take your questions?Useful resources www.alzheimersociety.org.uk www.dementiauk.org.uk www.ageuk.org www.bmj.com References: Kitwood, T. (1997) Dementia Reconsidered The Person Comes First. Open University Press: Basingstoke. Copyright © 2014 B&M Care Authors: Angela Hunt & Caroline Inch (BSc) Old Town Court, 70 Queensway, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 5HD T: 01442 236020 | E: info@bmcare.co.uk | W: www.bmcare.co.uk
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