Whitchurch care home enrols in 'trailblazing' dementia care scheme

^{By Harry Wright, 1st December 2021}

A WHITCHURCH care home is investing in trailblazing dementia training and making a long-term commitment to staff development as it looks to take on new recruits.

The move by Greenfields, in Liverpool Road, comes as operator Coverage Care Services rolls out its new county-wide dementia strategy and faces a rising number of residents in need of dementia care.

Sam Woosnam, head of human resources, said demand was high for dementia care across many of its homes but particularly Greenfields, which has a dedicated team of carers to support people living with the condition.

She said: "We've always had a long-standing reputation for providing high quality training and personal development programmes for our employees and as we navigate the post-pandemic era it's absolutely crucial that our staff have access to more advanced training to improve their existing skills and learn new ones so that we can continue to deliver the highest quality of care to the residents we look after.

"This latest investment involves using a mobile virtual dementia simulator to give staff first-hand experience of what it is like to live with dementia so they can enhance their knowledge and skills and the whole team is very much looking forward to getting involved."

Better known nationally as the Virtual Dementia Tour, the specially-equipped bus visited Greenfields on November 30.

Delivered by top UK provider Training 2 Care, the on-board training involves staff using a range of sensory technologies to blur their normal cognitive thinking so they can begin to explore the world from the same perspective as someone with dementia.

Greenfields manager Jonathan Cook added: "We are certain the training will enable our care teams to understand more fully the challenges and frustrations people living with dementia face on a day-to-day basis so that they can then make relevant adjustments to their living environment within the home."

The innovative learning session not only coincides with the roll-out of the organisation's new dementia strategy but also as it embarks on a major recruitment campaign to fill several care and nursing vacancies at Greenfields and at other homes across the county.