Dementia Friends together

Right at Home is working with Farnham Dene Medical Practice to support patients diagnosed with dementia.

Carley Jones, specialist Dementia Nurse at the Practice, provides help and support for patients of Farnham Dene and is encouraging the whole practice to become more dementia friendly.  She has been working with Alastair Shanks from Right at Home to encourage all of the staff in the practice to become Dementia Friends.

“Dementia has always been something that particularly interests me,” explains Carley, “so when Farnham Dene took the initiative to increase the support for those living with dementia, I was keen to develop my role in this area.”

Carley adds that the support at Farnham Dene is two-fold; regular dementia clinics with one-to-one support for patients and tailored advice is backed up by staff training on dementia awareness as well as moves towards a more dementia friendly practice in general.

“Patients are often encouraged to come along by a family member, worried about their loved one’s memory and quite often we are able to reassure them that there is nothing to worry about. But if there are any initial signs of dementia then we are able to offer advice and support where it is needed.”

This support can range from regular meetings with Carley, to a diary of local dementia-friendly events, through to home visits. Dementia-friendly activities in Farnham are increasing month by month with events at the Maltings such as Singing for the Brain and at the Rural Life Centre in Tilford which is starting up regular Reminiscence Tours specifically for those living with dementia and their carers.

“We’ve been working with Mary Jordan from the Alzheimer’s Society and Alastair Shanks from Right at Home to make the practice even more dementia friendly,” explains Carley.

“Mary has given us practical advice such as a slightly different waiting room layout and Alastair ran a Dementia Friends session for us last month which was an eye-opener for a lot of the staff here.   He has kindly agreed to run another session for patients and their families after Easter – anyone interested in coming along should call the practice on 01252 730100.”

Farnham Dene is keen to offer the best possible support to their patients – they clearly love what they do and are thoroughly enjoying it – judging by the smiles!