Gilmerton Care Home

Colleagues from Laurels Lodge Care Home in Woodside, Havencourt Care Home in Stonehaven and Cumbrae Lodge Care Home in Irvine all came together to do a skydive, raising money for residents in their care and Alzheimer's Scotland.

Tracey Rhodes, Resident Experience Facilitator for Scotland, said: "Everyone was really excited for the jump. One of them hadn't even been in a plane, and they completed it, which was a huge accomplishment. They managed to raise £4,000 which is fantastic. Well done everyone."

Congratulations everyone! We’re all proud of you.

Staff from a local Sainsbury’s store in Edinburgh have been given a simulated experience of dementia to increase their understanding of the condition and empathy for people who are living with it. The dementia experience was run by the Home Manager for Gilmerton Care Home by care home operator Four Seasons Health Care who are leading providers of specialist dementia care.

Tracey Howell, Home Manager, who arranged for the dementia experience sessions, said: “With the increasing incidence of dementia, as people are living longer, it is important to promote public understanding of the condition, to support people who are living with it to lead happy and reasonably independent lives and to remain an active part of their community for as long as possible. We’re delighted that staff from the local supermarket wanted to take part in the experience.”

The Four Seasons Dementia Experience, which gives participants a sense of what living with dementia, might be like. It simulates the sensory and cognitive impairments and the associated frustrations and emotional effects.

The Dementia Experience is part of the support and development all Four Seasons colleagues receive as part of its new generation of dementia care called the Dementia Care Framework. This pioneering approach is a unique step forward in the personalisation of care for people living with dementia. It builds on accepted best practice and uses advanced technology to support care teams to build and continuously update a picture of each resident’s physical, clinical, psychological and emotional well-being and their day to day experiences so that their care can be adjusted to their changing needs. It encompasses 320 recognised standards, including NICE Guidelines and Alzheimer’s Society best practice – and it’s thought to be world first

The Dementia Care Framework also includes resident and family charters. The resident charter sets out their rights, the standards of care they can expect and our commitment to provide for their personal needs and preferences. The family charter, sets out the support that they can expect to receive and how they can input to planning their relative’s care. They were produced following a consultation exercise that resulted in over 450 comments from residents, family members, health and social care professionals and care teams.

Tracey Howell, added: “The participants really enjoyed the training and stated that, ‘it was a real eye opener ’and ‘a lot of patience is needed to understand that Dementia is not just memory loss , and a lot a day to day tasks are harder and can take more time’. I would like to thanks Sainsbury's for their participation.”

We’ll be launching the 2017 Four Seasons Care Awards in the summer. In the meantime, we thought it would be nice to catch up with some of the winners of last year’s awards, to see what it’s been like since they’ve gone back to the floor.

This week we’ll be focusing on Sheena Walker, a member of the Learning and Development Team in Scotland who won the Central Support Team Member accolade.

Sheena is definitely a force to be reckoned with in Scotland, and her passion for helping others develop in their health care career is something to be admired. That’s why when she won the Central Support Team Member of the Year award she was surprised and over whelmed.

“It was a little bit intimidating receiving so much recognition,” explains Sheena. “It is nice to be recognised, but for me it’s not a job. I am very passionate about nursing. I was a nurse myself for a long time. I want to nurture and grow this passion in others who embark on their own nursing journey.”

Since winning the award Sheena has been continuing to support and develop Four Seasons colleagues in Scotland as they complete their Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ).

Sheena is a very humble lady. John Kirk, Managing Director for Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man had this to say about her. “Sheena is a fantastic lady, and a great asset for us to have up here in Scotland. The support she provides her colleagues to help them progress through qualifications is second to none. I’m glad she’s been recognised in this way.”

Information about Four Seasons Care Awards 2016 is available on the awards section of our website.