A dementia diagnosis can be hugely distressing for the individual who may be concerned about how their condition will develop and for family members needing to find the very best support for their loved one – putting in place practical, personal and emotional support to ensure the person is safe, well, and comfortable.
Specialist Dementia Care Services
Forest Healthcare offers dedicated dementia care across several of our outstanding residential care homes and nursing centres, ensuring each resident is supported with kindness, respect, and dignity, with the right to retain as much independence as they wish or are able, and throughout the later stages of the condition.
Selecting the Right Support for a Person Living With Dementia
Dementia is a complex condition and is an umbrella term for a number of medical diagnoses, including Alzheimer’s disease – a common type of dementia. Each person with dementia may experience varying symptoms or signs, typically beginning with difficulty with memory and cognition. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia and mixed dementia.
Although we often assume dementia is an inevitable part of ageing, in some cases, the cause of confusion or disorientation is attributed to underlying issues such as vitamin deficiencies or thyroid problems, making a proper clinical assessment vital.
Following that assessment and a diagnosis of dementia, the right dementia care support may depend on multiple variables, including the preferences of the individual, the types of continuous live-in care they require, and the everyday tasks they can or cannot complete independently.
Our compassionate care teams can provide advice at any stage, and many people opt to transition to residential care before their condition progresses to the point at which they find it difficult to cope or their care needs become more advanced.
Professional Dementia Care Services
The specialist nursing facilities and residential care environments across the Forest Healthcare network have years of expertise supporting people living with dementia and their family members and friends. We are always on hand to offer help and support while you make decisions about the best way forward.
We often liaise with relatives, individuals, and loved ones who are unsure about the ‘right’ time to choose a care home and would always reiterate that there is never a universally correct answer. Much depends on how well loved ones can support the person with dementia or whether the individual would feel more comfortable relying on dementia experts to provide day-to-day support.
Each person may have varying care needs, and a tailored, bespoke care plan can be a valuable tool in setting out the exact dementia diagnosis. Care planning can often identify different activities, routines, hobbies or exercises that maintain familiarity and can alleviate the impact that someone with dementia may experience.
Family members are often closely involved with making decisions on behalf of a person with advanced dementia or may act as their advocate and representative when sharing their preferences, advising on the meals that a person most enjoys, and stepping in as needed when medical decisions are required, where they have legal power of attorney.
Accessing Specialist Dementia Care From Forest Healthcare
Our dementia care services are available at several of our care centres, and you are welcome to contact your nearest service directly to arrange a good time to discuss the support on offer:
Contact us today and talk to our staff about the specific needs of you or your loved one. We currently have 3 centres for dementia care in London and many more throughout the country, so don’t hesitate to call if you’d like to come for a visit.
Some of our Forest Care Centres that provide dementia care services include:
| County | Location | Care Centre |
| Berkshire | Crowthorne | Pinehurst Care Centre |
| Berkshire | Wokingham | Warren Lodge Care Centre |
| Buckinghamshire | Great Missenden | Woodlands Park Care Centre |
| Essex | Chigwell | Belmont Lodge Care Centre |
| Hertfordshire | New Barnet | Cedars Care Centre |
| Hertfordshire | Elstree & Borehamwood | Forest Care Village |
| Kent | Gillingham | Grace Manor Care Centre |
| Kent | Maidstone | The Poplars Care Centre |
| London | Camden NW5 | Ash Court Care Centre |
| London | Islington N1 | Bridgeside Lodge Care Centre |
| London | Islington N7 | St Anne’s Care Centre |
| Norfolk | Hingham | Hassingham House Care Centre |
| Oxfordshire | Stanford in the Vale, Faringdon | The Grange Care Centre |
What to Expect From Professional Dementia Care
Working through the difficult decision about how to manage as dementia progresses is never easy, and many families and friends benefit from a talk with our dedicated carers and care coordinators. We can guide you through every detail, from what we might do on a daily basis to keep a person living with dementia active and happy or the types of meals we prepare and how often loved ones are warmly invited to visit and spend quality time with their friend or family member.
Is it also a great idea to ensure the person with dementia is able to visit their preferred care homes or nursing centres early on, where they can get used to a familiar environment and contribute to their care plan, ensuring we know all the information that may make life easier, more comfortable and better fulfilled.
One of the challenging aspects of dementia is that the initial symptoms, such as forgetfulness or confusion, can develop without warning. Having a care plan and chosen residential accommodation in mind makes the transition and putting the right support in place more streamlined for all family members.
Each Forest Healthcare centre with specialist dementia care services offers:
- A safe, secure residential space with residents welcome to bring furnishings, belongings and other home comforts to make the space personal and a familiar environment.
- Highly trained care staff, nursing teams and on-site support colleagues with somebody always on hand to help or provide emotional support at any time of day or night.
- Personalised, gentle care, where we strive to get to know every resident, their likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies to structure activities, social occasions and crafts or entertainment around them.
- Specialist dementia assistance, with varied resources such as brain-training games that can stimulate memory and exercises that help to maintain as much independence and cognition for as long as possible.
- Collaborations with family members, friends and other healthcare providers such as social care professionals, engaging with all parties to provide updates and adapt care planning as required.
Professional dementia care offers a great deal of assurance, where both you and your loved ones have the peace of mind that should they have an episode of distress or confusion, they are in a safe space with a team of skilled carers around them to safeguard their health and welfare.
Other Forest Healthcare Specialist Care Services
We provide a comprehensive range of care and support services for adults of all ages, including condition-specific assistance, palliative care and respite care, and rehabilitative care for people recovering from a joint replacement, hospital stay or brain injury.
Please get in contact at your convenience – we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about dementia care, other care services, or our nursing and residential care facilities