The dementia champion :
They ask them to locksmiths basildon to apply to the home manager approach the home manager to become a dementia champion. They gave them a job description for them to talk to the home manager about, and then they met with us for the two-hour training using the dog training. Then ongoing, they tend to make monthly contact using face-to-face supervision or a supportive chat. They do education slots once every three to six months and also, and you send out a monthly email with just something interesting written on it to all their champions. So they can have a little read, or you know something new that’s come out.
So they can click here, read that once a month, and disseminate that if they want to, and then there’s a bit at the end of the booklet that talks about self-reflection and evidence of their self-development. The project work within the home next is so the job description helped to add a sense of formality which you’ve said helped with the commitment of people to engage in the process and also meant that managers could pull people back in and say what’s happening about this. What are you doing? You know you’ve had your training, you’ve been singled out for this, you know where you are; it also assisted with mentoring new staff, allowing them to have time set.
Aside from doing things that they want to do so, project time and also permitted them to liaise with you in the care home. So they could send you emails and say they’re worried about this chap; he’s behaving like this, and we’re struggling to help him. So it gave them access to you directly rather than going through the seniors or the home manager, which was good.
The dementia champion badge :
So they’re just examples of the pages in the book of the reflection template, any ideas for project work, and then click here for the progress sheet Summary. So they can fill that in at the back about what they’re doing, then they give them a badge because that’s very important. If you feel having a badge to identify that this person you know has been singled out, and as much they laugh about that. Everybody likes a badge, and they laugh that they like it. Hence, they get two badges after doing the training their dementia champion badge and their dementia friends badge.
So the aim was they were going to have one dementia champion per 20 residents in the homes that were kind of, you know, plucked out of the sky. But not all the homes wanted champions; some of the homes, like Bupa, had their dementia champions, and their pathway, which was good staff turnover, is a big issue Everywhere. It’s difficult sometimes to secure one to two monthly supervisions; getting people, you know to take time off and come and sit down with you is pretty tricky.
However, the more they know the homes, the better they think, and the more champions realize how valuable it is. They make time which is excellent for managers being absent. Hence, the dementia champion role is not supported, and managers are not on board, not wanting more people in their homes to feel criticized. Quite often, the care staff would want support, but the managers don’t, and that’s quite.