An Informative Evening Workshop Celebrates Community Spirit At The Orchard

As a leading provider of dementia care, Caring Homes is fully committed to the training and education of its teams – and also to sharing their knowledge with local communities.

Understanding Dementia Workshop for St Albans Good Neighbours Scheme

The Orchard Nursing Home in St Albans has strong ties with many groups and organisations in the area, including the St Albans Good Neighbours Scheme. Patrick and Jan from the group attended the first community focused ‘Understanding Dementia’ workshop at The Orchard, designed to provide valuable insight into dementia and also to offer practical advice. They were so impressed, they asked whether a session could be set up for their volunteers, something that Caring Homes’ dedicated Dementia Trainer, Chris Elsley, recently arranged alongside a team training day.

At the evening workshop, Chris guided the St Albans Good Neighbours Scheme group through key topics, including the different types of dementia, early signs and symptoms, effective communication strategies, and the importance of creating a supportive environment. Living with dementia was also brought to life more practically, as attendees took part in activities designed to go some way towards recreating how dementia can manifest itself physically.

Fantastic Feedback as the Session Provides Valuable Insight

The feedback from participants after Chris’s session was extremely positive. Kathryn commented, “I knew little about the subject but came away feeling much better informed and also much more sympathetic towards those suffering with dementia.” Evelene added, “The exercise she made us perform to try and make us understand what people with dementia have to cope with was an eye opener……. Her training brought it home to me what a complex disease dementia is and that we, as drivers or befrienders, need to practise patience and calmness if we get in contact with clients who portray signs of dementia”.

It was an event that celebrated the spirit of neighbourliness. “The session was very informative at an easy pace which I thought connected with the room”, Jan reflected afterwards, and Patrick enjoyed the workshop once again: “Fantastic training workshop by Chris, the practical part with glasses, headsets and plastic in our shoes was particularly good. Second time for me, I would go again to learn more”.

Wonderful Experience for Student Nurse, Jo

The goal of all Caring Homes’ Dementia training sessions and workshops is to encourage better understanding of dementia and to share knowledge with as many people as possible. Earlier, Student Nurse, Jo, on a 4 week placement from Lister Hospital, was invited by Home Manager Dimitru and Deputy Manager Tubi to attend the Dementia Care Practice Day with the Orchard’s team. After the session, Jo wrote to give her thanks: “Chris, you have done an amazing job today. Thank you for allowing me to join you at short notice and making me feel so welcome. I feel I have learned a lot about dementia from you and look forward to putting into practice all the skills you have given me”.

A hugely successful couple of days at The Orchard for Chris – who delivers dementia training to teams and members of the local community at all 21 of our care homes – and undoubtedly not the last time we will see participants from the St Albans Good Neighbours Scheme, with the last word coming from group member Evelene who declared, “I have not had such an informative evening in a long time.”

Discover The Orchard Nursing Home in St Albans

The Orchard Nursing Home, a modern and comfortable care home based in St Albans is beautifully furnished and offers residential, nursing and dementia care. Our location makes us convenient for family and friends who are visiting the home, and we’re perfectly located for a host of different outings across Hertfordshire.

For more information about The Orchard Nursing Home, please visit our dedicated page for more information. You can also find information on our other care homes by exploring our site. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out more.