This week is Dementia Action Week in the UK, an annual campaign aimed at raising awareness and understanding of Alzheimer’s and dementia. At Beritaz Care, we are passionate about encouraging education around the topic of dementia. We have seen how important it is to be able to offer support to not only individuals diagnosed with dementia but also to their loved ones.

This year’s campaign is focussed on the importance of early dementia diagnosis, which is vital for getting people access to the care, support and treatment that they need. The Alzheimer’s Society has some really useful information on the most common symptoms of dementia and how to seek a dementia diagnosis.

At Beritaz Care, we are passionate about raising awareness of dementia, understanding the condition and educating ourselves on the best way to support residents with dementia. At our homes, we are constantly striving to adapt the care we offer to support our residents with dementia in the best way we can, offering activities tailored to those with dementia and adapting the living environment to make life easier and more comfortable.

Our staff are always keen to get involved with training and education to ensure we are adopting best practices in the care of our residents, taking on new methods of care that may specifically benefit residents with dementia. The teams in our homes take part in regular training, including a virtual dementia experience, in order to better understand the struggles faced by individuals with dementia. During this session, our staff are given limited vision glasses, gloves, prickly insoles, earphones with stimulating noises and lights, all to simulate the experience of someone with dementia. This is such a valuable experience for our staff and gave them a much better understanding of how dementia can impact our residents.

We take steps to make sure everything about a resident’s day-to-day routine is as easy as possible, from adapting our communication methods to thinking about how meals are served to them. It’s these small changes our staff can make that will hopefully make a big difference to our residents. We also do our best to share our knowledge, advising friends and family members on how best to support their loved ones with dementia, often running educational sessions and talks during relatives’ meetings.

We have been long-term supporters of the Alzheimer’s Society and are always looking for ways we can support the work they do. Earlier this month, Georgina and Henry, staff members from Windsor Court Care Home, took part in the 13-mile trek around Stonehenge to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society. They managed to raise a fantastic £1,594 thanks to the support of their sponsors. We are incredibly proud of Georgina and Henry for successfully completing this challenge and spearheading the fundraising efforts to support such a brilliant organisation that helps so many people, including our residents and their families.

If you are interested in finding out more about Alzheimer’s and dementia, or if you have a loved one who has been diagnosed, visit the Alzheimer’s Society website to access their library of useful online resources: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-action-week

Within our homes, we regularly see the challenges faced by those affected by dementia and we are passionate about finding the best ways to support our residents who are impacted by dementia or Alzheimer’s. Join us in showing support for Dementia Action Week 2025 and encouraging conversations around this condition.