This week some of our great team of carers underwent a ‘Dining with Dementia Workshop’
The aim of the workshop was to put the care staff in the shoes of the residents so they can physically feel what a meal time experience might be like living with some of the common challenges we can see in older age, and especially with dementia.
The carers wore scratched out glasses to simulate poor eyesight, whilst wrist weights and mittens simulated restricted dexterity. Whilst the senior staff took on the roles of being inattentive staff (for a negative dining experience) and by contrast attentive staff (for the positive experience.)
The first workshop highlighted the vulnerabilities that a resident may feel, especially when showcasing excessive noise, hurrying the service along, and a cluttered and messy dining space etc. This followed with a second workshop highlighting the contrast by creating a calming space, with low level noise, clean and minimalist tables and giving the residents a chance to enjoy their meal at their leisure.
They are exaggerated simulations of the extremes, but the care staff gained an insight from the workshop that is of benefit to them for a better understanding of some of the challenges for our residents moving forward. 
