Did you know that as part of our commitment to providing exceptional care and support to our clients living with dementia, SCC has a dedicated Dementia Services Team?

The team, which is made up of health professionals with extensive dementia training and experience, is an extra service to our clients, their family members and our staff to ultimately support the well being of our clients living with dementia. Dementia Services Manager Rejane Le Grange said the Team offer a broad range of services and support to enhance the quality of life of the client living with dementia.

“It is important to remember that each person with dementia is trying their best to deal with their life with the limitations of reduced cognitive capacity. The Dementia Services Team offers counselling services to staff, family and volunteers to help them understand how dementia is affecting a person and how to work around the impact the changes of the brain is dealing with,” she said.

When the Dementia Services Team is developing a care plan for a client with dementia they will consider and assess their physical and social environment, their health and emotional well being, their current care and their usual approach and aspirations to day-to-day life. This information is used to offer training and support to family and staff.

Rejane said that as more and more research of Dementia is undertaken and as the condition is better understood by health professionals, the Dementia Services team is committed to embedding best practice techniques into the organisation.

“It is part of our role to offer consultation to the organisation, managers and external organisations to ensure we remain contemporary in our assessments, evaluations and care.”

Problem-solving is the domain of the Dementia Service Team, often requiring the team to think outside the box or help people to approach problems with a little more insight in order to respond to difficult situations.

“Each person living with dementia is unique, so it is important that we understand what provides them with a sense of purpose. When we understand this, we can really make a positive difference, and help them achieve the best possible quality of life.”