Actors play role of person with dementia at innovative dementia training day

Leaders from the care team at Garswood House care home in Wigan attended an innovative training day with actors playing the role of a person with dementia.

The training day which was held at the House of Memories exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool, was for those working to support people living with dementia and looked at new techniques to improve their wellbeing.

Staff from the home which is run by CLS, a charitable organisation operating 26 residential care homes including specialist dementia households in the North West, took part in a range of forward-thinking and memory-prompting exercises.

These exercises can be used to stimulate the minds of older people and enable them to have periods of lucidity and reminiscence. They also promote dignity and quality of life.

Ann-Marie Porter, a care team leader at Garswood House, said: “The House of Memories experience presented dementia in a completely new light for me, using actors to demonstrate feelings and anxieties from the perspective of the individual.”

The care home staff toured the House of Memories’ with streets and shops from by-gone eras with authentic tins of tobacco, sweets and money in the window.

Like many of the CLS care homes across the North West, Garswood House already uses successful tools and techniques to help people living with dementia, including ‘memory boxes,’ used to prompt recollections through the association of personal photographs and objects.

Lynn Simms, who also attended the training, said: “Walking around the museum, you spot things that you know a particular resident would relate to their past. It helps personalise their experience with dementia to the individual, and that’s what the training was all about.

“We’re planning a trip to House of Memories with the older people and their families, as this is an experience that can not only prompt recollections, but help people bond through shared moments, which is equally important.”

Phil Orton, head of human resources at CLS Care Services, said: “The House of Memories is a fantastic way for CLS staff to keep abreast of new and innovative techniques when dealing with dementia, and allows us to offer the best possible care for our residents.”

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