Carefound’s innovative approach to caring learns from the expert – the person with dementia

Carefound, a provider of home care services to elderly people, has recently joined forces with the Contented Dementia Trust so it can offer an innovative approach to dementia care in North Yorkshire.

It is hoped the initiative will enable people with dementia to stay home for longer.

Carefound Home Care (Harrogate) is working with the Contented Dementia Trust to introduce and adopt their specialist approach to caring for people with dementia known as the SPECAL method. The SPECAL method aims to treat dementia as a disability and work positively with it, rather than trying to ignore or defeat it.

It uses a unique way of understanding dementia from the point of view of the person with the condition and starts with three simple day-to-day rules, SPECAL’s ‘Golden Rules’: don’t ask questions, don’t contradict, and learn from the expert (the person with dementia).

Oliver Stirk, director at Carefound, said: “We are very excited to have formed this relationship with the Contented Dementia Trust and in doing so want to maximise the opportunity for people with dementia to remain at home in the Harrogate, Ripon and Wetherby area. As part of this we will be holding quarterly ‘Understanding Dementia’ events open to families in the area. These will offer an opportunity to not only learn more about helping people with dementia but also share experiences with other families who face similar difficulties.”

“Sadly, there remains a stigma attached to dementia and it is the late stages of the condition that we often see in the media. People therefore assume that once a diagnosis of dementia is made the person no longer has the ability to maintain a good quality of life in the community. This prevents many people from acknowledging symptoms and, consequently, from obtaining the care and support they need.”

Philippa Moorse, home care manager at Carefound, added: “We are keen to work with families, GPs and other health professionals to ensure that people with dementia in North Yorkshire can benefit from a professional home care service and remain in the comfort of their own home for longer, particularly during the early to middle stages of the condition.”

The SPECAL approach to caring for people with dementia originated over 25 years ago when Penny Garner, founder of the Contented Dementia Trust looked after her mother who had Alzheimer’s.

The SPECAL method has been shown to increase the person’s confidence and thereby slow the rate of deterioration, reduce the need for medication, enable the person to remain in their own home for significantly longer and minimise the distress all too often seen during and after a transition into a different care setting.