'Outstanding' care home uses makeup and perfume to make dementia residents feel special

Windmill House care home in Wymondham has been rated ‘outstanding’ by the care watchdog, which praised its ‘individualised and very person-centred’ care.

The care home in Norfolk, owned by Runwood Homes Senior Living provides care for up to 59 older people, most of whom have dementia. It has even introduced a ‘Happy Hour’ each day ‘as a time when everyone should take time out to have a drink and spend time with people’.

Inspectors called the care home manager an ‘inspiring leader of an enthusiastic staff team committed to providing the best care for people’. They also praised the home for its ‘holistic approach’.

Julie Aldred told carehome.co.uk, that caring for people with dementia is her “passion in life”. Before she took over the role of manager in April 2014, the home was rated ‘requires improvement’.

She said: “I want others to be treated how I would want to be treated if I have dementia, by continuing with wearing makeup and their favourite perfume.

“The residents here like Tweed, Channel No 5, Obsession, Yardley English Dahlia and Nivea shaving foam.

“We have a hairdresser that visits weekly, a nail technician who also does reminiscence with residents and staff that are trained beauticians. We do have an in-house salon.”

The report revealed that ‘One member of staff who was also a qualified beautician supported a person with makeup and an outfit to make a special Christmas card with a photograph of themselves for their relative. We could see from the care plan, that wearing makeup was very important to them.’

Ms Aldred has a personal interest in dementia as her mother had the disease and she felt she “did not receive good care when in hospital.

“I believe it is so important for everyone to receive good care, being able to maintain independence as much as possible and stimulation through various activities day to day,” she said.

’I worked long hours in the beginning’

“I put myself through college for about six years to get a better understanding of dementia.

“I worked long hours in the beginning, told my husband to be prepared for this, as I knew my job was not going to be 9-5 to make the improvements that were necessary in the care home.”

This belief, hard work and innovation is evident in the report which states: ‘The home had taken an innovative approach to promoting dignity. Spending time and being with people was valued and focussed on daily in a ‘happy hour’ and there was a whole team approach to involving relatives and people in the care and support provided.’

Mrs Aldred is a firm believer in “completing a floor walk daily being visible, talking to staff and residents, continually checking the environment for health and safety, cleanliness and good care”.

For her, getting Windmill House to ‘outstanding’ has been a “lot of hard work and I now have a great team behind me”.

The Norfolk based care home is now in the top three per cent of care homes in England, with the highest accolade of ‘outstanding’.

Dementia can affect a person at any age but it is more commonly diagnosed in people over the age of 65. There are over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, according to the charity Dementia UK and this is set to rise to over one million by 2021.

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