Community Integrated Care’s New £5m Dementia Service Opens This Week

Community Integrated Care’s pioneering model for dementia care: ‘EachStep’ will officially launch this week with the opening of EachStep Blackley

The EachStep model will see the charity support people with the condition from their initial diagnosis until the end of their lives, by delivering a holistic range of specialist dementia care services from one central location.

The charity has developed its first service under this model, a state-of-the-art £5 million dementia care service in the Blackley area of North Manchester, called ‘EachStep: Blackley’, which will be formally opened on June 28th 2012 by Professor Alistair Burns, the National Clinical Director for Dementia.

EachStep Blackley, will provide domiciliary care across Greater Manchester, a short term respite service for 12 people, and 24-hour residential and nursing support for 48 people. In offering all four services (domiciliary care, day care, respite and residential support) it will support people with dementia and their loved ones throughout ‘each step’ of their journey.

The EachStep model and service practically applies a range of research in the field of dementia care, and has seen our charity work alongside academics, community groups and carer groups, to devise a service that truly embraces and applies the aims of National Dementia Strategy.

EachStep: Approach to Care

EachStep focuses on supporting people with dementia to live full and happy lives, where they are empowered to take part in meaningful activities that fulfil their interests and reflect their life history by staff who they have strong and lasting relationships with.

To support this aim, it employs a number of specialist roles and provides every person working in the service with recognised dementia training, including Community Integrated Care’s unique accredited BTEC qualification in Dementia Care.

Specialist roles employed by EachStep Blackley include an Advanced Practice Dementia Care Nurse, who will take leadership in forging a culture of quality and innovation in the service, and a Specialist Occupational Therapist Practitioner, who will support re-enablement and the application of creative solutions to practical care issues.

Support workers in the service have the job title of ‘Care and Activity Workers’, reflecting the fact that the EachStep model proposes that providing meaningful activity is integral to excellent dementia care and therefore, supporting activities is a responsibility for every staff member.

EachStep: The Service

EachStep: Blackley has been developed by award winning architects, Pozzoni, and Community Integrated Care’s own internal dementia care and property experts to deliver the best possible lifestyle for people with dementia.

It includes a range of specialist lighting, furnishings and assistive technologies to encourage the independence and comfort of the people it supports, yet has been designed to feel domestic and homely.

The service includes extensive facilities to support activities, including large dedicated activity and reminiscence areas; a gym, library and cinema screen for leisure and recreation; as well as domestic kitchens and laundry facilities, so residents can continue to take part in household tasks, should they wish.

It also features expansive gardens which have been planned specifically to meet the needs of and be accessible to people with dementia.

To encourage community involvement and interaction with the service, EachStep Blackley also includes a number of facilities that can be used both by the people supported by the service and members of the public, including a Costa Coffee café and a hair and beauty salon.

Quotes

Neil Matthewman, Chief Executive of Community Integrated Care, says: “The increasing prevalence of dementia is one of the most challenging issues that society faces today and it is only going to become a more acute problem for future generations. Our EachStep model is exactly what is needed to meet these challenges, assisting people with dementia through any difficulties they may face by offering specialist support delivered by highly trained, caring staff in exceptional facilities; giving people with the condition the comfort and stability that they deserve.”

Neil adds, “We were pleased to see the recent Prime Minister’s ‘Challenge on Dementia’ and Alzheimer’s Society ‘Dementia 2012: A National Challenge’ reports, which called for a higher quality of dementia care, improved staff training, greater community involvement in dementia services, and better support for family carers. In EachStep, we have not only anticipated these aspirations but also developed a flagship service for the dementia care sector.”

He concludes, “We are excitedly looking to the opening event for EachStep Blackley, on June 28th and are delighted that someone of Professor Alistair Burns stature, in the field of dementia care, has chosen to support this event.”