Carterwood, the social care property consultants, are celebrating their 10th birthday by undertaking ten events throughout 2018, and are taking the opportunity to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK. For the fifth activity, Carterwood volunteered at The Orders of St John Trust Grace Care Centre in Thornbury, which opened in February of this year. Throughout the day the team took part in a dementia friends’ session, helped residents plant fruit and vegetables in their new garden and made bird feeders in an arts and crafts session.

In 2017, Carterwood conducted a nationwide demographic study into specialist dementia care in UK care homes. The analysis of dementia prevalence and the quality of dementia provision in care homes is something the Carterwood team are familiar with, so to be able to take a step away from the statistics and take a more personal and emotional approach to understanding dementia has been invaluable.

The session was led by Kit Lendon, volunteer co-ordinator for OSJCT. She began by showing how living with dementia doesn’t impact just the individual, it also affects their friends, families and entire social networks. Kit used a range of interactive workshops to demonstrate the varied nature of dementia, and how it is possible to live well with dementia. A person living with dementia has an ever-changing experience, there will be good days and bad days, but if their environments are adapted accordingly, it can make a huge difference to the individual’s day. The session helped the team to remember that behind the disease is a person who has led a full life, achieved amazing things and is still somebody with feelings and emotions, even though they may often be confused or forgetful.

Amanda Nurse, co-founder and managing director of Carterwood said

‘I would like to thank everybody from OSJCT for allowing us this opportunity. The team have only given positive feedback, and everybody who attended feels like they learnt a lot from their day. The whole group signed up to be dementia friends, and we have thoroughly enjoyed hearing all about the initiative.’

The Carterwood team’s other challenges include, testing themselves in long distance ultra-marathons, showing off their culinary skills in the Great Carterwood Bake Off, and celebrating the company’s 10th birthday at the start of October. To support our efforts, please visit our Just Giving page.

For information about Carterwood’s services, please telephone 08458 690777, email info@carterwood.co.uk or go to www.carterwood.co.uk.