Care Home Changes

[Elle3]

I had an interesting chat with the unit nurse this morning. My dad is in a Dementia+ unit within a larger care home, which is for residents with challenging behaviour, there are a max of 16 residents in the unit. They have asked if dad could change rooms as they are making some changes to the unit which they are hoping to do early next year.

The reason they want dad to change rooms, is that they want to knock his room and the room next door together and create another lounge area with patio doors onto the garden. They are also changing the dining room into another lounge area and making changes to the current lounge. Basically they are planning to have three lounges all with basic kitchen and dining facilities. They have said they are going to change the Activity room into a shop and the reminiscence room into a cinema room, currently there is just a TV in the main lounge which to be honest none of them are interested in, so why a cinema room? They said their plan is for the residents to be a bit more 'independent' and to do more, like they used to. For example their plan is to take the residents to the 'shop', give them a basket and let them choose their own ready meal for their lunch, which they will then take to one of the lounges and prepare it for themselves, ie in the microwave. Eat it and then they can wash up after themselves.

I just can't get my head around this. 9 months ago when my dad still lived at home he was unable to make good decisions regarding food and he certainly couldn't prepare food for himself and this was one of the reasons of many for him going into a care home. Since then his dementia has advanced quite a lot and he is unable to do much for himself now, he also can't answer basic questions or follow any instruction, he can no longer communicate effectively and these suggested changes worry me. I also feel that many of the other residents will not be able to cope with this. Up until now apart from the lack of activities in the unit, I have been happy with how they take care and interact with the residents and they have shown some good practices in dealing with challenging behaviour, but I'm really not sure about these new plans.

Is this some new idea to help people with Dementia? Have any of you had any experience of similar things happening in a Dementia care home unit, does it work?

Thanks.
Elle x

 

[karaokePete]

There is a famous dementia village in Holland that has received a lot of positive reporting and other places are trying to introduce the idea to varying extents. This reads a bit like they are having a go.

If you do an internet search for Hogeweyk you will find it and copy schemes.

 

[Elle3]

There is a famous dementia village in Holland that has received a lot of positive reporting and other places are trying to introduce the idea to varying extents. This reads a bit like they are having a go.

If you do an internet search for Hogeweyk you will find it and copy schemes.

Thank you KarokePete I've just had a look and it does sound a bit similar but on a much larger scale. Maybe I need to give it a chance but knowing my dad and many of the residents now and how advanced their dementia is etc I still have concerns that this might not work for them. I suppose we will have to wait and see.

Thanks.
Elle x

 

[Rosettastone57]

I had an interesting chat with the unit nurse this morning. My dad is in a Dementia+ unit within a larger care home, which is for residents with challenging behaviour, there are a max of 16 residents in the unit. They have asked if dad could change rooms as they are making some changes to the unit which they are hoping to do early next year.

The reason they want dad to change rooms, is that they want to knock his room and the room next door together and create another lounge area with patio doors onto the garden. They are also changing the dining room into another lounge area and making changes to the current lounge. Basically they are planning to have three lounges all with basic kitchen and dining facilities. They have said they are going to change the Activity room into a shop and the reminiscence room into a cinema room, currently there is just a TV in the main lounge which to be honest none of them are interested in, so why a cinema room? They said their plan is for the residents to be a bit more 'independent' and to do more, like they used to. For example their plan is to take the residents to the 'shop', give them a basket and let them choose their own ready meal for their lunch, which they will then take to one of the lounges and prepare it for themselves, ie in the microwave. Eat it and then they can wash up after themselves.

I just can't get my head around this. 9 months ago when my dad still lived at home he was unable to make good decisions regarding food and he certainly couldn't prepare food for himself and this was one of the reasons of many for him going into a care home. Since then his dementia has advanced quite a lot and he is unable to do much for himself now, he also can't answer basic questions or follow any instruction, he can no longer communicate effectively and these suggested changes worry me. I also feel that many of the other residents will not be able to cope with this. Up until now apart from the lack of activities in the unit, I have been happy with how they take care and interact with the residents and they have shown some good practices in dealing with challenging behaviour, but I'm really not sure about these new plans.

Is this some new idea to help people with Dementia? Have any of you had any experience of similar things happening in a Dementia care home unit, does it work?

Thanks.
Elle x

The care home My MIL was in had similar ideas. It was a brand new build and the dementia unit had a cinema and open plan kitchen and dining room area. This was to give residents the idea of being in casual surroundings. They had also started to change the decor in the corridor to make it look like a street with different shops. My MIL wasn't there long enough to find out if it benefited her. But to be honest many of the residents were very advanced so it's debatable how this might work

 

[Bunpoots]

This sounds rather like the first home I looked at for my dad in July. Since his stroke at the end of of July he wouldn't benefit from any of these things. He no longer watches telly or follows a conversation. I used to offer him 2 choices for meals as anymore he found confusing.

I'm sure it's great for those in earlier stages but I don't feel it's worth paying the extra to get these things for dad.

 

[Elle3]

The care home My MIL was in had similar ideas. It was a brand new build and the dementia unit had a cinema and open plan kitchen and dining room area. This was to give residents the idea of being in casual surroundings. They had also started to change the decor in the corridor to make it look like a street with different shops. My MIL wasn't there long enough to find out if it benefited her. But to be honest many of the residents were very advanced so it's debatable how this might work

This sounds very similar decor to my dad’s care home, which has a street scene/shops in the garden and shop fronts in the main corridor, I can truthfully say none of the residents take any notice or are interested in the decor. Most of them either want to get out or sleep, they too are quite advanced certainly in their cognitive and communication skills, so giving them choices and instructions is going to be very difficult. Although the staff seem to think they get answers to their questions.

Take this morning for example, one of the carers had prepared a banana for another resident, but before giving it to them, she came up to my dad holding the plate in front of him and she asked him if he wanted another coffee, my dad rambled on about dogs, she took this as a yes?! But I stepped in and said he didn’t want one. But then dad looked at the banana on the plate and started to reach for it, so she asked him if he wanted it, this was about 10 mins before lunch was due I again had to tell her no as it was nearly lunch time. This sort of thing really frustrates me, I know they are trying to treat them with respect but my dad can’t communicate and can’t deal with choice. Since going into the care home he has gained about 3.5 stone and none of his clothes fit him as they seem to constantly feed him anything and everything.

 

[Elle3]

This sounds rather like the first home I looked at for my dad in July. Since his stroke at the end of of July he wouldn't benefit from any of these things. He no longer watches telly or follows a conversation. I used to offer him 2 choices for meals as anymore he found confusing.

I'm sure it's great for those in earlier stages but I don't feel it's worth paying the extra to get these things for dad.

I agree Bunpoots I can see it benefitting those in the earlier stages or those with better cognitive and communication skills to be able to make choices and follow direction but most of the residents can’t do this. My dad is the same as your dad, he doesn’t watch tv or communicates with any other residents, most of the time he just sleeps or wanders around picking bits up of the floor.

 

[Baby Bunty]

Hi..my mums home a fews months ago was done up and i think its amazing@!,..i cried my eyes when i seen it as my mum is bed bound now..but i truely believe she would of loved it..every day they is all fresh fruit outside shop..plus snacks that the residents can pick up when ever they wonder in..plus post box..and flower stall which to my amazement has fresh flowers all the time!..also a sweet shop which is open in afternoon ..its all on same floor..and most relatives i have spoke to think its amazing..as its like having a little day out..plus garden room which is all done so so realistically its unbelievable. I think its is amazing and i only wish that my mum at see it..but yet i get so much pleasure watching others.i will try and send photos.xxx

 

[Baby Bunty]

Sorry..i dont know how to send photos!!@

 

[Kevinl]

The problem is you're sometimes paying for a load of "frivolities" that are actually no use to the residents, if they still have the capacity to appreciate them then fine, but if they don't then it's taking money out of the care side of the budget.
Too often on here I see people say how busy the carers are, how few of them there are and how hard they have to work, I don't have that issue because although in some respects the home my wife is in is quite "basic" not austere or anything but we don't have a cinema room or a fake shop but what it does mean is that there's more money to pay more staff's wages so we're never short of staff and that for me is what counts for most.
Showering my wife is classed as a 3 person job, changing her is a 2 person job and she has to be changed several time a day and gets showered and her hair dried very regularly, she's always clean, hair nice, clean nails and well dressed in spite of her double incontinence and resistance to personal care.
There is only one pot of money and all the nice bits come from that as well as the core care issues, I for one would rather money was spent on the core care of keeping my wife clean and well fed ( she can't feed herself any longer) and not on a Jacuzzi or a garden full of unicorns and gold plated fountains.
It's not about what kind of hotel I'd most like to stay in, it's about the care my wife gets and that they can take care of her and that means people not props.
Nice homes stay nice by kicking out people who don't fit the model anymore, get a bit difficult and you're out, why should my wife recognise a film from 40 odd years ago when she can't recognise me from 40 odd years ago?
My wife can't choose what food she eats and anyway I don't want her to eat microwaved food, OK the home do buy in some prepared food but most is made on site, they don't make the sausages but they do mash the potatoes from...well...potatoes.
My wife's unit has 2 lounges and one dining room, the other unit has 2 dining rooms and one lounge and I don't really get that, does your house have 2 dining rooms and one lounge, why I spend much more time in a lounge than I do in a dining room.
Sounds like the home have more money than sense and should have consulted the "visitors" or should we be more correctly be called customers as we're the ones who decide to spend the money with that home, if you get out of the mind set of being a "visitor" and so an outsider and come to think as yourself as a customer then the shoe goes onto the other foot and suddenly you're the one in charge.
K

 

[Elle3]

The problem is you're sometimes paying for a load of "frivolities" that are actually no use to the residents, if they still have the capacity to appreciate them then fine, but if they don't then it's taking money out of the care side of the budget.
Too often on here I see people say how busy the carers are, how few of them there are and how hard they have to work, I don't have that issue because although in some respects the home my wife is in is quite "basic" not austere or anything but we don't have a cinema room or a fake shop but what it does mean is that there's more money to pay more staff's wages so we're never short of staff and that for me is what counts for most.
Showering my wife is classed as a 3 person job, changing her is a 2 person job and she has to be changed several time a day and gets showered and her hair dried very regularly, she's always clean, hair nice, clean nails and well dressed in spite of her double incontinence and resistance to personal care.
There is only one pot of money and all the nice bits come from that as well as the core care issues, I for one would rather money was spent on the core care of keeping my wife clean and well fed ( she can't feed herself any longer) and not on a Jacuzzi or a garden full of unicorns and gold plated fountains.
It's not about what kind of hotel I'd most like to stay in, it's about the care my wife gets and that they can take care of her and that means people not props.
Nice homes stay nice by kicking out people who don't fit the model anymore, get a bit difficult and you're out, why should my wife recognise a film from 40 odd years ago when she can't recognise me from 40 odd years ago?
My wife can't choose what food she eats and anyway I don't want her to eat microwaved food, OK the home do buy in some prepared food but most is made on site, they don't make the sausages but they do mash the potatoes from...well...potatoes.
My wife's unit has 2 lounges and one dining room, the other unit has 2 dining rooms and one lounge and I don't really get that, does your house have 2 dining rooms and one lounge, why I spend much more time in a lounge than I do in a dining room.
Sounds like the home have more money than sense and should have consulted the "visitors" or should we be more correctly be called customers as we're the ones who decide to spend the money with that home, if you get out of the mind set of being a "visitor" and so an outsider and come to think as yourself as a customer then the shoe goes onto the other foot and suddenly you're the one in charge.
K

I agree I would much rather have good care, fresh food and activities to stimulate the residents, than all these extras which from my dad’s point of view are a waste of time. They are always well staffed but more often topped up with temp staff who I feel don’t really get chance to know the residents. I found when my dad first went into this care home he was just one of 5 residents and the care was faultless. But over the months the numbers have increased and there are now about 14 residents and I have started to notice a few issues and I could no longer say they are faultless (a few unexplained accidents etc) and things are not as tidy or as well presented as they first were and staff no longer have time to chat the same with the residents or visitors.

 

[Elle3]

Hi..my mums home a fews months ago was done up and i think its amazing@!,..i cried my eyes when i seen it as my mum is bed bound now..but i truely believe she would of loved it..every day they is all fresh fruit outside shop..plus snacks that the residents can pick up when ever they wonder in..plus post box..and flower stall which to my amazement has fresh flowers all the time!..also a sweet shop which is open in afternoon ..its all on same floor..and most relatives i have spoke to think its amazing..as its like having a little day out..plus garden room which is all done so so realistically its unbelievable. I think its is amazing and i only wish that my mum at see it..but yet i get so much pleasure watching others.i will try and send photos.xxx

No worries about the photos, I bet it is lovely. The care home unit my dad is in was newly opened in February this year, everything was perfect, clean and well presented, flowers, fresh fruit a sweet stall and the dining room was always laid out with table cloths and cutlery, glasses, flowers, napkins etc just like in a restaurant. Move on 8 months, none of that now exists as they learnt the residents couldn't cope with them, the bowls of fresh fruit kept being thrown or handled causing hygiene issues, the flowers were destroyed, the sweet stall was totally ignored or when some of the residents discovered them, they consumed too much and got hyper, plus they had to watch out for the diabetics eating them. The dining room is now just bare tables, they found they couldn't lay out the tables as they did as this confused the residents with too much in front of them, they also pulled off table cloths and what was on there and they stole the cutlery. For the visitors the unit no longer looks as nice or presentable as it did, but for the residents they cope with it being basic but practical far better.

It's difficult to know what is best, something that is pleasing to the eye and the visitors, or something that is clean and practical and not confusing for the residents.

 

[Bunpoots]

It's sad. My dad always appreciated a good environment like that @Elle3 but now he'd be like a toddler. He'd be touching everything, rearranging it, destroying it. They give him plastic tableware now if he's in a grumpy mood as he'll throw it at someone...just like the one year olds I used to looks after . I'm glad they have plain tables.

I'm just off to visit him now. Really really not looking forward to it...

 

[Elle3]

It's sad. My dad always appreciated a good environment like that @Elle3 but now he'd be like a toddler. He'd be touching everything, rearranging it, destroying it. They give him plastic tableware now if he's in a grumpy mood as he'll throw it at someone...just like the one year olds I used to looks after . I'm glad they have plain tables.

I'm just off to visit him now. Really really not looking forward to it...

Good luck with the visit.

Elle x

 

[Bunpoots]

Good luck with the visit.

Elle x

Thanks Elle. It was not too bad today. He knew us and they'd let him stay in his room which he seems to prefer.

 

[Elle3]

Thanks Elle. It was not too bad today. He knew us and they'd let him stay in his room which he seems to prefer.

Good, I'm glad it well today, you never know how the visit is going to go do you. I'm much the same with my dad, although these last few weeks he has been asleep more than he's been awake. Take care. Elle x

 

[Sirena]

I had no idea this was a line of thought in the design of care homes now, it isn't something which would be of much use to my mother. If she could choose her shopping, use a microwave and wash up, she'd still be at home. Her CH serves home cooked food and I'd be very disappointed if they switched to microwaved meals. There are two big screens in the main lounge often showing films and I've never seen her watching so I doubt she'd be interested in a cinema room, it would just be another place to doze off. I suspect these kind of design-extras are of far more interest to the management and relatives, but it is the residents' home and it should be run according to their needs.

 

[Elle3]

I had no idea this was a line of thought in the design of care homes now, it isn't something which would be of much use to my mother. If she could choose her shopping, use a microwave and wash up, she'd still be at home. Her CH serves home cooked food and I'd be very disappointed if they switched to microwaved meals. There are two big screens in the main lounge often showing films and I've never seen her watching so I doubt she'd be interested in a cinema room, it would just be another place to doze off. I suspect these kind of design-extras are of far more interest to the management and relatives, but it is the residents' home and it should be run according to their needs.

Hi Sirena, I don't think it's going to be much use to my dad either and I agree whatever they provide should be beneficial to the residents and not the visitors. To be honest, I'm surprised they haven't spoken to us about it first before making the changes just to gauge our opinions.

Maybe they are doing it to justify a hike in the fees next year!!!

Elle x