Hingham care home helps change perception of dementia

Games, crafts and entertainment will be the focus of a week of activities at Hingham’s Hassingham House Care Centre aimed at helping people learn how to live well with dementia, during national Dementia Awareness Week 18 to 24 May.

“Dementia is now one of people’s biggest health concerns, they see it as a death sentence but it’s not,” says Sally Lee, Hassingham House manager. “We want to help break down the stigma associated with dementia and show people that if you take a positive approach to the illness you can live well with dementia.”

As well as hosting two open afternoons, the team of dementia specialists at Hassingham will give a series of talks throughout the week to help residents, family, friends and members of the public find out more about dementia and how they can best support people with dementia, be it in a care home or in the community.  

“When people are worried about something they often avoid talking about it but it can make a big difference to how well you cope if you can talk openly about it and find different ways of doing things. One very simple example is changing how we refer to people who have dementia from dementia sufferers to people living well with dementia,” adds Sally.

Hassingham hopes to highlight some of the many practical ways in which dementia can be managed during a relaxed BBQ lunch on Wednesday 20 May, accompanied by one of the residents’ favourite male singers P J Laney, and an afternoon of cooking, art and crafts, garden games and quizzes on Friday 22 May.

“At Hassingham we believe ‘life is for living, even with dementia’. We are passionate about giving our residents with dementia the opportunity to be included in everything that goes on in the home, including being able to get plenty of fresh air – they are not cooped up in a first floor setting. All our rooms have doors to the outside so they can enjoy exploring the gardens. It’s all about keeping them happy, healthy and stimulated,” says Sally.

Hassingham House is situated on Hardingham Street in Hingham, with 44 bedrooms offering a friendly, family environment for both younger people recovering from trauma – including a specialist 24 hour neurological and spinal injury nursing care – and elderly residents who require nursing care. Hassingham House is part of the Forest Healthcare group of homes, which includes 13 individual homes throughout the South East of England. For more information on Hassingham House, please visit www.foresthc.com or call 01953 851890.

ENDS

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