Dementia Programme
We want to be the first choice for families and individuals seeking high quality live-in dementia care.
The Good Care Group’s market-leading dementia care programme is based on best practice techniques and latest thinking in the field of dementia care. We work collaboratively and have introduced and adopted the SPECAL Method. The SPECAL method incorporates a number of core tools and techniques and is supported by the latest thinking from dementia research. Life history work, SPECAL Observational Tracking (SPOT), Validation, Orientation, Reminiscence and Distraction Therapies are all employed as appropriate to the client.
The SPECAL method enables carers to work positively with the dementia not trying to defeat or ignore it, but to create a sustainable sense of well-being for the client.
We are aiming to give all our clients:-
- A sense of personal worth feeling they still have much to offer others
- A feeling of being in control and being able to make decisions which are carried out
- A sense of belonging and comfortable interaction with those around them be they family, friends or professionals
- Trust in us and a confidence that everything will be alright
Using the SPECAL method, our first step is to gather large amounts of background biographical material which is restructured into a Client Profile using SPECAL Observation Tracking (SPOT). The SPECAL Care Profile contains carefully selected set of themes and explanations, with associated triggers, cues and props. These themes are personalised to each client, and links are made between the persons’ life in the past and the activities of daily life in the present.
The Care Profile provides an accessible blueprint for life at home, and has been shown to extend the amount of time a person with dementia remains at home.
Client consent is paramount. By careful monitoring through the use of SPECAL’s Observational Tracking (SPOT) uncover what is acceptable to the client. If the client indicates that whatever is being proposed is acceptable to them, then as carers we are on the right track. We aim to reduce or avoid driving them into the state of illbeing so often caused by conventional care approaches. The SPECAL Photograph Album understanding of the experience of dementia demonstrates very clearly that, as dementia progresses, feelings become increasingly more important than facts to the person with dementia. This finding has been endorsed by recent research from the University of Iowa. Our work using the SPECAL method helps to keep the client feeling contented, safe and free from anxiety and distress.
Professionally trained dementia carers
We provide specific training for our carers supporting clients with dementia using a range of best practice techniques. We work in partnership with the Contented Dementia Trust who train our staff in the SPECAL method. In addition, we focus on the particular nutritional and health care needs. We also have specific training on coping with depression, a common complication of those living with dementia.
We work with the whole family and can offer training and support for friends and relatives. Our experts support all the family on what can sometimes be a very difficult journey.