Dementia Education Sessions
Tamsin delivers education sessions to our staff and in the local communities.
Community & staff dementia education sessions with Tamsin Hudson Dementia Care Adviser at Bluebird Care
We are really pleased to announce that we are now taking bookings for 2024 community dementia education sessions
To attend and reserve a seat at one of our community dementia education sessions simply click on the link below to the venue you wish to attend and we will contact you to confirm your booking
29th February 2024 10am - 12pm at Viables Community Centre, The Harrow Way, Basingstoke RG22 4BJ 28
28th Mar 2pm - 4pm- Church Room, St Marys Old Basing Church Ln, Old Basing, Basingstoke RG24 7DJ
Tamsin's Passion from her personal experience brought the training to life
Family Member
Thank you for inviting me to this session its been very interesting
Family Member
Good to listen to someone who really knows their subject and loves to talk it about it with such passion
LS- Care assistant
It was lovely to listen to Tamsin, lots of great ideas to help and some very interesting facts!
Care Assistant
Tamsin delivers education sessions to our care assistants to help prepare them in supporting our customers and their loved ones in their dementia journey.
“I am really proud of our amazing Care Team at Bluebird Care who are so eager to learn more about dementia and how we can provide our specialist dementia care service to customers. Such keenness to learn more and understand how it feels for someone living with dementia!
I will be rolling out these free Practical Dementia Education sessions in our local communities in the New Year. Contact me if you or someone you know, are interested in learning more about improving the day to day lives of those with dementia or those who care for them” Tamsin Hudson Dementia Care Adviser
"“Living well (with dementia) for as long as possible in their own home”, is what the majority of people with a diagnosis of dementia want, when we ask them about their choices and wishes. Our Care Assistants important role is to enable them to remain living at home in familiar surroundings for as long as possible.
Image from - www.alz.org
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Examples of common dementia symptoms |
What we see |
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Loss of short-term memory |
The person may ask the same questions repeatedly |
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Loss of sense of smell |
Often the first sense to be impacted by dementia – loss of appetite |
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Impaired sense of taste |
Food tastes differently, or loses its taste and appeal |
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Impaired eyesight |
Peripheral vision is impaired - customer may only be able to see what is straight in-front of them |
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Impaired hearing |
Customer may not hear/understand what you say, even with hearing aids |
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Thinking may become scrambled |
They may struggle to complete a sentence as they may lose their train of thought and start talking about something else |
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Speech may become difficult |
They may search for the right words to express something |
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Ability to concentrate is lost |
They may seem confused or their mind may wander when you are talking - to help them to re-focus onto you (touch their arm, smile in their direct eyeline, say their name) to get them to focus back onto you |
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Loss of recognition of loved ones |
Blank gaze and no sign of recognition, may think the person is their mother/father instead |
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Hallucinations – seeing someone or something that is not there |
Never disagree with or question what they are telling you – instead ask them to tell you about the person/the thing they can see/hear; show them you are interested to learn more about it |
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Frustration/anger/mood changes |
Agitation, restlessness, wandering about looking for things. Distract with a cup of tea, slice of cake or a programme on TV. Divert attention, be soothing, calm and re-assuring |
As their Carer, how can we help them with these difficulties?
- Always be calm, smile and speak in a polite, soothing manner
- Address them by their chosen name
- Always treat them with dignity and respect at all times
- Always explain what you are going to do – before you do it!
- Speak more slowly than you would normally, try to be clear in how you speak
- Always speak to them when you are face to face, not when you are facing away from them, so that they can lipread and see your expressions etc in order to try to understand what you are saying
- Use short, simple sentences (DON’T CHATTER) eg. Rather than saying “Hello Mr Smith, what would you like for breakfast on this sunny day today? There is toast, cereal, or I could make you some scrambled eggs if you like?” but perhaps try “Hello Mr Smith. Would you like toast or cereal today?” whilst holding up the loaf of bread and the box of cereal.
This a small snippet from the very informative and interactive Education Sessions Tamsin delivers. If you would like to find out more about holding an Education Session with Tamsin in your community please call us on 01256 762324 or you can email Tamsin Direct
The session was very helpful and done in a way that made it very easy to understand- thank you Tamsin
TN- Care assistant
How to find the right care for you or your relative
1. Find your local office
Bluebird Care delivers care from locally based offices, find yours to start your care journey today.
2. Get in touch with us
Fill in our call back form or give us a call to find out how we can help you.
3. Assessment
We’ll come out to you to find out what you or your loved one needs to help stay independent at home.
4. Care team chosen & care starts
You'll be cared for by our specially trained team to support you to remain at home for as long as possible.
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