We were recently lucky enough to spend two days with the lovely team at Claremont Court, part of Carebase, providing a bespoke workshop that brought together understanding dementia, practical care skills and opportunities for meaningful engagement.

We started with Teepa Snow-inspired Brain Changes, looking at what our brains help us to do, what can change with dementia and why this matters when we are supporting someone. We kept linking this back to everyday situations and the things we can do to make these a little easier for the person.

We also explored Positive Physical Approach™ and Hand-under-Hand™, with plenty of opportunities to have a go and experience being on the receiving end of support. Cups and sweets helped us practise! This gave everyone time to think about how we approach someone, offer our help and support them to stay involved rather than taking over.

We then moved on to group and individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST and iCST), exploring how these could become part of life at Claremont Court, including for people who would prefer time individually rather than joining a group.

What was particularly lovely was hearing the team’s pledges at the end of the training. Even in an already incredible home, there were so many ideas about what they could try, adapt or share with their colleagues. It was great to see everyone thinking about the people they support and how they could put their learning into practice.

A huge thank you to the Claremont Court team for making us so welcome and getting involved throughout the two days. We’re looking forward to hearing how you get on – especially with those pledges!

Our bespoke workshops bring together the topics and practical skills that matter to your team and the people you support. If you would like to chat about what this could look like for your organisation, please get in touch at info@mindful-care.co.uk or visit www.mindful-care.co.uk.