Bernard Sunley, the Woking-based residential, nursing and dementia care home run by charity, Friends of the Elderly, has opened a Dementia Hub as an additional dementia-friendly space and resource to further support its commitment to those residents living with dementia, their families and friends.

“We decided to create our designated Dementia Hub in one of our bright and comfortable conservatories, as the atmosphere in there is calm and tranquil,” said Andy Cumper, the Registered Manager at Bernard Sunley.

“The flexible space has lots of useful functions, one of which is for dementia and support talks given by our Head of Dementia Care, Yvette Carr, which are designed for families and friends of those who are living with dementia.”

Yvette’s free talks include practical techniques on how to support older people who are living with dementia, signposts and suggestions and also offer helpful insights. In addition, Yvette shares her own experiences of caring for a relative who is living with dementia.

“The Dementia Hub is a safe and welcoming space for relatives and friends to meet with their loved ones. It’s furnished with a range of dementia-friendly activities and equipment such as fidget gadgets, rummage and memory boxes, doodle blankets and colouring books, a large wall-mounted TV, comfortable chairs, sofas and tables, which are surrounded by sensory plants and aromatic, fragrant herbs including Mint and Basil,” continued Andy.

“Receiving a hand massage is a beneficial and soothing activity for the residents who are living with dementia. The gentle touch of a massage can reduce agitation, help to lower short-term anxiety, lower stress hormones and promote relaxation; so we have installed a full range of essential oils and creams in the Dementia Hub for relatives to give hand massages to their loved ones, whilst chatting, reminiscing and spending time together,” added Monika Ahmed, one of the Activity Coordinators at the care home.

“To be able further support our residents who are living with dementia, their families and friends is one of the most rewarding aspects of dementia care. Caring for someone who is living with dementia brings many changes for both the person and their families, so to be able to facilitate and offer our Dementia Hub as a welcoming environment and comforting space for families and residents to meet and enjoy time together is a great addition to Bernard Sunley and a wonderful thing to be able to do,” concluded Andy.