Dundee care home recognised for compassionate care

A care home in Dundee has scooped an award for developing a pioneering ‘care village’ that enables people living with dementia to reconnect with old memories.

Bupa's Balcarres Care Home in Broughty Ferry, Dundee was nominated for the Person-Centred and Compassionate Care award at the annual Bupa Clinical Excellence Awards and received the accolade for the quality of its care.

Home manager at Bupa’s Balcarres Care Home, Lynn McLean, said: “Ultimately, the driving force behind our work is to improve the quality of life of the people in our care and we are all absolutely thrilled all our efforts are being recognised.

“The creation of the bus stop cafe and putting green is so important for our residents as it allows them to reconnect with previous memories in a secure and familiar environment.”

Ninety per cent of residents at the home are living with dementia and the home has introduced a putting green and bus stop café to its garden. Staff are working to expand what is currently available and are creating a grocers, post office and thrift shop, all of which are designed to support residents and help them to reconnect with recognisable social surroundings.

Ms McLean continued: “We are very excited to continue to expand this project and add the post office, grocers and thrift shop, as these kinds of features have been proven to provide residents living with dementia cognitive stimulation which relieves feelings of anxiety and confusion.

“We always aim to provide the highest level of care to all our residents and we believe the ‘village life’ setting is a fresh and innovative way in which to do this.

“The satisfaction we gain from this and the extremely positive feedback from the residents is all the thanks we need but to win the Compassionate Care honour is really special and we very much enjoyed the event in London.”

Aside from the specialist ‘care village’, Balcarres Care Home also has its own Wi-Fi café to ensure residents are able to keep in touch with friends and loved ones from across the globe. As well as a children’s play area for visiting children, a gardening club and a 1940s room for residents to reminisce about their past.

Staff at Balcarres Care Home recently took four of the homes’ residents on a trip to Butlin’s, allowing them to visit a holiday destination from their youth and are planning more short trips for the future.

The Clinical Excellence Awards celebrate 27,000 employees within 300 Bupa care homes across the UK, recognising individuals and teams of have demonstrated an excellent understanding within their field, in addition to commending those who go the extra mile to deliver high quality care to residents and support their fellow colleagues.

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