Caring, person-centred, nurturing environment for Arbor Village residents living with Dementia
Arbor Village has invested in a number of specialised, person-centred equipment solutions to continue providing high-quality care within a supporting, dignified and homely environment in a bid to further enhance both the physical and mental wellbeing of their Dementia residents.
In the 2011 South African census, it was recorded that approximately 2.2 million people in the country are living with some form of Dementia and furthermore, every 68 seconds someone develops Alzheimer’s Disease, which is the most common form of Dementia. “These are indeed sobering statistics,” says Denise Stanton, Manager at Arbor Village. “And as the Dementia numbers rise, so too does the need for care and support. To meet this ever-growing demand, we took a decision in 2007 to expand our Care Centre where, alongside mid and frail care, we established a safe and well-structured care environment to offer specialised care for residents living with Alzheimer’s and other Dementia-causing diseases.”
“Although it is a progressive and degenerative disease, early diagnosis and proper treatment can significantly slow down Dementia and help to extend quality of life. Our tightly-knit team of experienced, professional, highly trained and compassionate nurses and care workers are dedicated to attending to our Dementia residents’ every need around the clock,” notes Denise.
Arbor Village staff is well-trained in the Eden Alternative Philosophy which promotes reduced pharmacological treatment by finding non-pharma alternative approaches. A very large part of Dementia care is the creation of a calm, soothing environment combined with sensory stimulation to help residents who are feeling agitated so that they can achieve a relaxed state. “Our holistic quality care includes both these approaches,” states Arbor Nursing Manager, Glenda Olwage. “When Arjo introduced us to the Wellness Nordic Relax chair during a visit to their Samrand showroom, we immediately recognised the tremendous value that this chair, as a non-pharma solution, will add to our Dementia residents’ lives and we installed the chair in our sensory room in June 2020.”
Doreen Cwati and Andrew Tsegula, Recreational Coordinators at Arbor Village, who work closely with the Dementia residents, confirm that despite Covid restrictions preventing residents from enjoying the full benefits, they are seeing significant improvements in a very short period of time using this therapeutic chair. “Moreover, these positive effects are long-lasting with residents continuing to experience the benefits of the treatment hours, and often days after using the chair and needing little to no medication.”
Doreen and Andrew are also encouraged by the fact that the Dementia residents’ families can see the improvement in their loved ones too. “As our strict Covid protocols do not permit visitors, we often send videos to the families who have been so excited to see the difference in their loved ones following a session in this life-changing chair.” They add that the Nordic chair is user-friendly, simple and easy to use, requiring only one person to lift a resident safely in and out, while navigating between the different programmes using a wireless remote.