Hartford Care’s Malden House has delivered a dementia training programme to a group of 15 students from Sidmouth College.
As part of Dementia Awareness Week the students visited Malden House to work with staff and residents.
Agnieszka Orlowska, registered manager of Malden House, said: “It was great to see the students learning so much about dementia – some of them became emotional and showed a lot of passion about what we do at Malden House.
“I can tell the students really benefitted from the training – after the first session we received a phone call from the college to ask if they can stay for longer (for the second session) because they felt that an hour wasn’t enough. It feels amazing to know that we can make the difference to share our knowledge with the younger generation about people living with dementia.”
Staff shared their care values and gave the students strategies to use when working with someone suffering from dementia,including how to empower people, keep dignity intact and encourage independence.
The students then put their training into practice by working with the residents on a variety of activities, including assisting with the sensory garden, arts and crafts, and cooking.
Something for other schools in our area to think about, I reckon – for example here in Torbay where Norrms MacNamara (pictured) and his ‘Purple Angel Dementia Awareness’ campaign has had such a huge impact in the last few years.
Bob Jope Healthwatch Torbay
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