Why our carers enjoy caring for people living with dementia

Professional carers from Carefound Home Care have given an inspiring insight into what they enjoy about caring for people living with dementia.

People living with dementia have been excessively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is dementia the most common pre-existing condition for people dying with coronavirus, but people living with the condition are also experiencing the devastating effects of social isolation and disrupted healthcare services.

Carefound Home Care provides home care services to elderly people living with dementia and all of their carers are trained in the Contented Dementia Trust’s specialist approach, the SPECAL method. Their care services have been a lifeline to many families during the pandemic and so they have taken a moment to ask their carers what they enjoy about supporting people living with dementia.

You can view the inspiring film and read some of the highlights here.

Building relationships

Building trust and genuine relationships is vital to supporting a person with dementia and the positivity that comes from this can be huge. To help our carers achieve this they’re not only given enough time but they’re also trained to understand the importance of avoiding direct questions, listening to the expert (the person with dementia) and learning from them, and not contradicting. These ‘Three Golden Rules’ can make a remarkable difference.

Amanda, a Senior Carer, says she most enjoys “seeing their smile when they see that it’s you at the door”.

Sharing memories

Reminiscing or sharing stories and memories from the past warms the heart of the carer, the client and family members. For someone living with dementia, memories from long ago can also be more important than recent ones. Our carers love taking the time to reminisce with their clients and will often use activities such as looking through photo albums, listening to music, browsing the internet or just general discussion.

Suzanne, an hourly carer, says she loves “jumping into that memory that makes them smile and sharing it with them.”

Preserving dignity

At Carefound Home Care we know that whether you’re caring for a loved one or a client living with dementia, we all get satisfaction from making sure that we treat them with dignity and respect so that their wishes are carried out. To help our carers with this they’re closely supported to communicate with their clients in a way that they can give consent for what is happening in their life whilst minimising anxiety and confusion.

Ailish, an hourly carer, says it’s all about “care, compassion, choice, dignity, humour and SPECAL.”

Being rewarded

It’s not always easy, but there is a huge sense of achievement in knowing that you have improved the wellbeing of somebody living with dementia. Carer’s at Carefound Home Care frequently talk about the sense of pride they get from helping change their client’s lives.

Yvonne, a live-in carer, says “no two days are the same. It is very rewarding, I enjoy it so much so that it’s my choice to work with this group of people.”

Enabling a happy and contented life with dementia

We firmly believe that offering people living with dementia the opportunity to remain in the familiarity of their own home with highly personalised support on hand enables them to retain a much higher quality of life. Our carers often feel privileged to be able to help their clients in this way.

Tina, a Senior Care Supervisor, has worked with people living with dementia for many years and says “we all have a history – our likes, the things we’ve done, the things we’ve achieved, our family – they’re all important to us and they’re still important to that person living with dementia. When we focus and encourage those stories to be shared, pictures and smells – our interest can create that smile, that happiness. People can be happy and contented living with dementia with our support, with our care and with our love.”

Are you considering a career in care?

If you’d like to help Carefound Home Care change people’s lives you can learn more about working as a live-in carer or an hourly carer and apply here.