We hear the word ‘dementia’ and automatically make assumptions. However, dementia brings with it a range of symptoms and difficulties, and our natural assumptions can lead us to misunderstand. At our care homes in North Devon and Somerset, we are experts in providing dementia care. These are 10 things that we think that everyone, including loved ones of those with dementia, should be aware of:

Our East Street residential home in South Molton has just been awarded ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission who regulate our industry.

Caring for an elderly loved one brings many challenges. One such challenge is simply how to manage your time effectively. This is particularly true if you are in the ‘sandwich generation’ caring for both your elderly parents and dependent children who are still at home. Standard time management tips may not be useful here, so we’ve put together a list of tips for how to manage your time when you’re caring for elderly parents. The goal is that you should feel less frantic and burned out, and more in control.

Dementia can be a very distressing condition for the sufferer and for their loved ones. Often, especially in the earlier days of dementia, defensiveness and denial can lead to an individual refusing help. This refusal of help can put you in an even more difficult position. You may feel powerless or that they are making things harder for you (and themselves). You may even feel that their unwillingness to accept help is a personal attack on you, or even may lead to them being in danger.

A care home should be a happy, caring and enjoyable place to live. The move to a care home is often fraught with negative emotions. Yet, the care home should feel like home whilst meeting the actual care needs of the individual residents both now and down the line. This means that choosing the right care home can be incredibly complex, especially as many family members will never have undertaken this task before. This is our guide to choosing Somerset care homes for your loved one. The Right Home for the Individual at the Right Time The first step is to consider the individual and what they need. Your primary consideration should be the level of care that the person needs now. However, you also should consider what care may be needed in the future. Moving in later life, into a care home, can be an incredibly difficult move to make even though it will bring benefits. Therefore, if possible, you want to prevent the need for a future move in a year or two. This can be a difficult concept to face, but it is important. There are three main types of care home you need to consider in […]

We take a unique approach to provide care homes in North Devon. At Eastleigh Care Homes we consider it vital to provide exceptional care which fosters appropriate independence in a setting which feels as much like ‘home’ as it can. This means that instead of considering residential care, nursing care and dementia care as three completely separate types of care, we provide all within close proximity to each other, in South Molton. This approach enables us to offer residents a holistic approach to their care as it changes over time. It is this which marks us out as different, as well as our pioneering and innovative care and luxurious settings. Finding the right care home can be complicated, but at Eastleigh our goal is to make it a positive and supportive experience. Choosing a care home in North Devon When you consider a care home in North Devon you will primarily need to consider the type of care your loved one requires. You can get a care needs assessment completed by the Devon County Council and this will help you determine what level of care is need. This will point you towards residential care, nursing care or dementia care. The […]

Ever wondered what care is like for the elderly in different cultures? We are proud of our heritage as a care home provider in the South West of England. Nonetheless, what lessons could we learn from other corners of the globe? It matters to us that we have wine and sherry to offer our residents at dinner and that we serve up the residents’ favourite fish and chips. It’s important to our residents that we have in-house hairdressing. Christmas at Eastleigh wouldn’t be Christmas without a round of carols and the Queen’s Speech broadcast on Christmas Day. Today we went on a journey to find out what care for older people is like in other cultures.

When it comes to helping our residents achieve comfort in the British weather, we’re not often talking about the heat! The Great British weather is better known for causing problems for the elderly in the winter. However, at our North Devon and Somerset care homes we are often spoilt with warm sunny weather during the summer months. It’s essential that family and carers also know how to keep the elderly comfortable and safe in hot weather.

Balancing the Needs of Elderly Parents and Dependent Children Around 2.4 million of us in the UK are in the ‘sandwich generation’. We’re typically aged 40-70 and being sandwiched between the needs of our dependent children on one hand and the needs of our ageing parents on the other. It’s a difficult place to be. Balancing the needs of your parents and children can be immensely challenging. On top of this, you have your own needs to consider too if you are to be able to meet them as well.

How to Make a Space Dementia Friendly At Eastleigh’s Raleigh Mead North Devon Care Home, we have been rated by the CQC as Outstanding for our dementia care. There are lots of different elements to this, but of vital importance is how we’ve created a ‘dementia-friendly’ living environment. This has been achieved through various approaches from careful lighting to furniture designed with a dementia patient in mind. Dementia friendly spaces can be easier to create than you may realise. It takes a little forethought and effort, but with a few changes you can create a space that is both safe and welcoming to someone with dementia. Here we reveal our top tips for how to make a space dementia friendly. 1. Dementia friendly lighting If you make one alteration to the space being used by someone with dementia it should be to the lighting. Lighting makes a huge difference to how secure someone can feel due to their ability to make sense of their surroundings. Focus initially on plenty of good natural light. This is less likely to cause shadows, especially by making sure nothing is blocking the window. Additionally it can help someone follow the pattern of time over […]

When considering care homes in North Devon you’ll be faced with a wide range of options. Devon stands out from much of the country for having a disproportionately large number of elderly residents. The result is that there is a lot of choices when it comes to choosing a care home. But how do you know you are picking the right one? Here we explore what you should look for when choosing care homes in North Devon. A home, not an institution It’s vital to remember, especially when choosing a North Devon care home on behalf of a loved one, that this will be their new home. This seems obvious to say, but it is easily overlooked as you consider which level of care your loved one needs. Whilst it is vital to consider whether they need residential, nursing or specialist dementia care, it should always have a homely, welcoming and comfortable feel. It should feel like home. The types of care home Typically, care homes are divided by the type of care they provide. Mostly this falls into three levels of support: Assisted living, or sheltered accommodation: The residents live independently but benefit from onsite management and potentially access […]