The Mayor of Wantage has opened a care home’s new memory care household, created in response to a growing demand in the town.
Councillor Iain Cameron cut the ribbon to the redesigned Cedar floor at Elmbrook Court care home on Grove Road on Friday, 25 July. The floor, which previously provided solely nursing care, now offers a calm and quiet environment for those living with dementia.
Councillor Cameron was shown design features such as vibrant pink light shades in the corridors to help guide residents around the floor, a multi-sensory room in place of the former cinema, a ‘curiosity table’ of items to explore and an old-fashioned dressing table to stimulate comforting memories.
In front of residents, families and invited guests, the home’s General Manager, Rebecca Warman, highlighted the changing needs of people looking for care.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve seen demand for memory care grow and grow, and now 80% of the enquiries we receive are for some form of memory care,” she said.
“While we have a lively, stimulating environment in the home for residents living with dementia, that doesn’t suit everyone. Cedar is a quieter space that offers a different lifestyle for people who are less mobile, have more sensory needs or who prefer activities in smaller groups or on a one-to-one basis.
“Dementia can affect people’s sensory perceptions as well as their memories. The bright pink light shades can help with way-finding so people can navigate around the floor themselves, and we’ve installed blinds in our dining room as the floor-to-ceiling windows in there can be very disorientating.”
Christine Rossiter’s mother, Jean Burness, has lived at Elmbrook Court for just over two years. She moved up to the Cedar floor five weeks ago, and Christine said it’s been transformational.
“Mum initially lived on the ground floor, but her memory care needs were starting to make her feel isolated, especially at mealtimes, and she was becoming withdrawn and upset”, she explained. “She then moved to the Birch memory care household, but this didn’t suit her. She is interested in other people, but the energetic and sociable lifestyle was too much for her.
“When Mum transitioned to the new the Cedar household, I noticed an immediate difference in her. Whereas I used to worry about how she’d be, I now look forward to visiting her and seeing what she’s up to.
“She’s never really had friends, but she pointed out a lady to me and said she was her friend, which is wonderful! She really enjoys the quieter environment, the one-to-one time with the care team and recently going out in the minibus to the supermarket and choosing her own shopping.”
The number of people in Oxfordshire living with dementia has risen by almost 10% since 2020, and in the constituency of Didcot and Wantage, 1,370 are estimated to be living with the condition.
Councillor Cameron spent time touring the new wing and talking to families. He played games with residents on the home’s ‘Magic Tablet’, an interactive table that can be used for a range of activities.
Elmbrook Court is a purpose-built care home for 74 residents offering residential, respite and nursing care, alongside its memory care. The team in the new household will also be using an innovative system that scans the faces of residents to assess their levels of pain.
The handheld device uses AI technology to recognise facial muscle movements indicative of pain. The system uses this, and a framework of questions and assessments for team members to answer, to generate an overall pain score.
“This system is particularly useful for residents who find communication difficult, who are non-verbal or who find interaction challenging,” added Rebecca. “It is a perfect complement to our carers’ understanding of our residents and will add to the sense of wellbeing our new space offers residents living with dementia, and their families.”
