Edensor, a fifty-bed care centre for the elderly with nursing and dementia needs in Clacton, opens a Hydration and Nutrition Station for residents.
As part of regular meetings with PROSPER (who promote safer provision of care for elderly residents in Essex), Edensor has been discussing what additional measures they might employ to help with residents health. Part of a recent discussion included improving residents wellbeing by encouraging them to snack and drink more often outside meal times.
Further discussions after this initial meeting during staff Montessori training sessions, led to one of the team suggesting an area in the heart of the Home be turned in to an innovative Hydration and Nutrition Station for residents and their visitors.
Ewa Ruskowiak, a Care Coordinator at Edensor Care Centre, said, “We’re delighted to have been able to establish this Hydration and Nutrition Station in the main lounge. It will give our residents access to a large selection of snacks and drinks throughout the day and will help to give them some added independence by choosing when to take additional refreshments outside meal times. The clear signage in text and picture form is particularly important for our residents living with dementia, so that they can more easily identify what snacks and drinks are available that day.”
Edensor resident Sue aged 71 said, “I love the choice of snacks and drinks and I really like the bright colours and pictures.”
Sabina Mach, Edensor Care Home Manager said, “I’m proud to work with a team who are always thinking about new and innovative ways to improve the care we offer our residents. Danielle who is part of our care team formulated the idea of the Hydration and Nutrition Station and then Ewa and Lucy worked hard to put the idea into practice. We use the Montessori approach to allow our residents to live life to the full and giving those with dementia more independence is so valuable. Being able to decide when and what they might like to snack on, or drink, will be very important especially for those living with dementia and we have already seen the residents encouraging each other to go and get refreshments, which is wonderful to see.”
To find out more about Diagrama Foundation’s Edensor Care Home visit https://diagramafoundation.org.uk/senior-dementia-care/edensorcarehomeclacton
About Dementia Action Week
Dementia Action Week (15-21 May) is an awareness raising campaign. Each year, Alzheimer’s Society works with individuals and organisations across the UK to encourage people to act on dementia. This year’s theme is dementia diagnosis.
www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-action-week
About PROSPER
PROSPER: Promoting safer provision of care for elderly residents
The PROSPER programme was a ground-breaking initiative to test whether quality improvement methods could be implemented in the care home context. It involved working with residential and nursing homes across Essex to reduce the number of falls, pressure ulcers and urinary tract infections (UTIs) – not only improving system performance and professional development, but also changing behaviours and culture.
About Diagrama Foundation
Diagrama Foundation is a Kent based charity that supports vulnerable children, young people, and adults to live their best life.
Diagrama has a Supported Living Service across Bromley, three homes for adults with learning disabilities in Orpington, an eight-bed care home for adults with learning disabilities in West Sussex a fifty-bed care home for the elderly with nursing and dementia needs in Essex, and a fostering and adoption service in the southeast.
- The Supported Living Service, cares for 35 adults with learning disabilities, in nine homes across Bromley helping them to develop skills and confidence to live in their own house either on their own or with others.
- At Cabrini House in Orpington the charity promotes the development of core skills for 23 adults with learning disabilities so that they can lead independent lives integrated within their community.
- Duckyls Farm in West Sussex, a care home for eight residents with learning disabilities, joined the charity care provider in February 2023.
- The team at their nursing and dementia care home Edensor in Clacton on Sea, support their vulnerable residents to live life to the full.
- Diagrama’s adoption and fostering service cares for children in South London, Kent, Sussex, and Surrey.
Many vulnerable children and adults don’t get the support they need to develop their true potential, but the Diagrama team know that when someone has time and belief invested in them, they come alive, because that investment has made them feel valued and worthy.
