FEATURE ARTICLES

Well thought out dementia signage has a key role in ensuring residents are safe, happy and reassured as well as in enabling them to have as much independence as possible, says Tony Stead, business development manager, New Vision

Gordon Farmiloe, managing director, Gainsborough Specialist Bathing, describes how innovations in specialist bath design are helping to meet the needs of those service providers that are responsible for the care of people with dementia

When the design and manufacturing team at Shackletons wanted to learn more about designing for people with dementia, they turned to industry expert Dr Claire Craig from Sheffield Hallam University for her advice and guidance

Care operators that employ EU nationals need to consider their corporate position in relation to Brexit and how much involvement they will have in driving the immigration/ residency agenda, says Charles Avens

Veronica Leeke, proprietor of The Heat Loss Detector, discusses ways in which heat loss can be reduced to provide a warm and comfortable care home environment, thereby enhancing the wellbeing of residents and lowering energy costs

Doug Agnew, business development manager, Abbot Fire Group, provides tips and information on how to reduce the risk of fire by carrying out a care home risk assessment and taking the appropriate measures to keep residents safe from harm

We have come a long way in terms of care home provision and in the design of facilities, says Philip Ross, a director of Safehinge and Primera Life, and businesses and individuals are making practical changes and developing new products that both protect and empower residents

Ferrars Hall –one of County Court Care’s purpose built developments

Karen Clayton, dementia environment specialist, Find Memory Care, considers how good design principles can reduce agitation and aggression in people living with dementia, significantly reducing the need for antipsychotic drugs

The amount of freedom that people living with dementia have in communal care settings to define how they use their space can be a critical measure of how much the staff understand and practice person centred care and support, says Tanya Clover, Clove Care Consultancy

Health and wellbeing are constantly under review at Danish care home Plejecenter Skovhuset

Sara McKee discusses why she believes care homes should embrace a gig economy that encourages workers to be their own bosses, and explains how much could be learnt across the social care sector from the Uber business model

As a care leader it is up to you to help your staff and residents by encouraging the open exchange of views. This may be through training, but most of all it will come through building active engagement, says Jo Geraghty, co-founder of Culture Consultancy

Davina Ludlow looks back at 2016, a year of significant political turmoil in the UK, which saw a continuously changing landscape and agenda, but looks set to lead to a raft of positive developments within the social care sector

Garden designers Debbie Carroll and Mark Rendell, from Step Change Design, carried out research to answer a simple question, ‘Why aren’t care home gardens used more actively?’ The answers they received had little to do with the design of the outside spaces

The Care & Dementia Show, which was held at the NEC in Birmingham on 11-12 October, and Care in Construction, which was co-located with the main event, have been declared a success by show organiser UBM, after attracting 2,459 attendees

When choosing fabrics to adorn seating in a care home environment, you may think it’s more about style than substance, but fabrics should be functional as well as good looking, says Harriet Green, Camira’s product manager for healthcare

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) ENRICH programme aims to encourage stronger partnerships between researchers, staff and residents

Amanda Terranova and Sue Ascott, discuss ways to create an environment that helps to attract, retain and develop your workforce

The care sector is primarily a people business, but to get the best we can for service users, we must embrace new technology, says Professor Martin Green