Care with a difference

Jul 16 2007 by Jane Picken, Evening Chronicle

Thousands of people in the North East struggle to cope with the devastating effects of dementia. But Health Reporter JANE PICKEN finds out about one centre hoping to make a difference to their lives.

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FOR 86-year-old Hilda Sheppard completing a sentence is almost impossible, and remembering what day it is or who she has just spoken to are tasks beyond her reach.

But introduce her to a game of dominoes and a different part of her brain whizzes into action and she tots up the value of half a dozen tiles in double-quick time.

Her mind is as sharp as it was years ago when she manned the account books for an insurance company in Birmingham – a period of her life of which she now has no recollection.

Dominoes fan and grandmother Hilda, who lived in Wideopen, is one of a staggering 700,000 people with dementia in the UK.

It is a condition which muddles the mind to an extraordinary degree and is, alarmingly, on the increase.

For Hilda, and her loved ones, including daughter Pam Waldron, 54, from Gosforth, Newcastle, the diagnosis of mixed-picture dementia – which is Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia – means she is prone to high blood pressure, spondylosis and arthritis.

“Her memory had been getting progressively worse,” said Pam, who has provided day-to-day care for Hilda. “She might fall asleep in her chair and wake up a couple of hours later and think it was the following day.

“In addition, she had several falls at home and would forget to use the emergency call-out pendant around her neck to summon aid.

“Once, she fell in the garden and spent three hours crawling back into the house to use the phone, not remembering she could have pressed her emergency care call button. For some reason she always remembered to wear it, but forgot what to use it for.”

But despite her failing mental and physical health, Hilda’s quality of life has been improved thanks to a new centre in Newcastle specialising in dementia care.

Run by the Dementia Care Partnership (DCP), the Bradbury Centre in Brunswick Village, on the outskirts of the city, focuses on what people with dementia can do, rather than what they cannot.

The Dementia Care Partnership – now the biggest specialist dementia service provider in Newcastle – was founded in 1993 and offers a range of services, including home care and support. Its £2.1m Bradbury Centre boasts a gym, coffee shop, restaurant, hairdressers and complementary therapies, five respite care bedrooms, a lounge, activity rooms and a large garden.

Partnership chief executive Rani Svanberg says: “For so long, people living with dementia have been denied opportunities to contribute as valued and respected members of society.

“They are seen as a burden on the state, incapable of making new friendships, learning new skills and continuing with old hobbies.

“People like Hilda are constantly reminding us how important it is to get to know the person with dementia and nurture their existing skills and aspirations.

“After all, what we want for Hilda is what we expect for ourselves.”

Challenging current practices, the charity collaborates with local health and social services, housing organisations and works closely with local schools and communities.

Hilda has been attending the centre almost since it opened in September 2005.

Pam had heard of the Bradbury Centre and, with the help of North Tyneside social services, was able to get Hilda a place.

Prior to her attending, a home visit was undertaken and Hilda’s interest in board games was noted.

“Mum said she didn’t want to go to the centre, so we did a deal. She would give it a try for a day and if she hated it she wouldn’t have to go again,” explained Pam.

“I had my fingers crossed all day that she would like it. When I went to collect her and she said that it was absolutely wonderful, it was a great relief.

“This centre has been a godsend and a real life-saver at a time when Mum’s world was closing down. Attending the centre has given her 18 months of happiness by providing friendship and a sense of purpose.”

Hilda immediately adapted to life at the centre and particularly enjoyed table games. She has proved to be a mean dominoes player where the ability to quickly assess tile values is crucial!

“Mum was always very good at mental arithmetic,” recalled Pam. “She could add a column of figures in her head as quickly as I could with a calculator, and this skill has stayed with her despite her dementia.”

“She was becoming frustrated by her difficulties in recalling words and her inability to complete sentences, so the playing of dominoes, which got her involved with other people, was a real boost to her sense of wellbeing.

“That she was able to engage in small talk during the games was just the type of positive reinforcement she needed.”

Initially, Hilda attended twice a week, but she loved it so much that a further day was added, with the local authority funding two days and Pam the third. Since moving into residential care at a home in Denton Burn, Newcastle, she goes once a week.

Partnership team leader Bob Robinson has known Hilda, who now lives in a residential care home, since she first arrived.

He said: “Hilda used to organise people, clear tables and wash up. She’d been through a lot in a short time but accepted what had happened and adapted.

“Many old people don’t like change, but Hilda is very flexible and sociable. Attending the centre has given her a new lease of life.”

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Dementia Facts

• THE Alzheimer’s Society estimate a 35% increase – to nearly 42,000 – in numbers of people in the North East living with dementia by 2021.

• There will be over a million people with dementia in the UK by 2025.

• Two thirds of people with dementia are women.

• Financial cost of dementia to the UK is over £17 billion a year.

• Family carers of people with dementia save the UK over £6 billion a year.

For further information about the Dementia Care Partnership in Newcastle contact (0191) 217 1323 or visit www.dementiacare.org.uk