Bournemouth care home receives dementia accreditation award

Staff at Zetland Court received an EMBRACE Dementia Accreditation for outstanding support, care and attention dedicated to residents living with dementia and their loved ones.

The accreditation, awarded by care provider RMBI Care Co, was revealed by The Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor Anne Filer, during an official ceremony.

Cllr Filer said: “I have been to many care homes in my career, all different, but none was like Zetland Court.

"The level of dedication to residents and their families is truly inspiring.”

Sue Wiffen runs Red Admiral View, the home’s dementia house.

She said: “When a new resident arrives, I spend time speaking with them and their loved ones to gain an understanding of their lives.

"Then I use this knowledge to build trust and plan enjoyable activities. If a residents sleeps through the day, their day may start at 6pm, so they may want to have lunch around midnight.

"I sometimes stay through the night to ensure the night team get the same support as the day team.”

Sue also noted staff members do not wear uniforms in the dementia area, and added: “Residents aren’t really in a care home; they are at home, so why should they see people wearing uniforms?” 

Iain Slack, Zetland Court’s home manager, said: “We wouldn’t have obtained this accreditation without the continuous support from Sue.

"She runs our dementia house with absolute dedication, making sure that residents have meaningful experiences.”

To keep enhancing their services, the staff at Zetland Court recently set up ZetCafe24, a dementia friendly café.

The aim is to provide social gatherings for people living with dementia, families and professionals in the local area, where they all can share information and experiences as well as speak openly about this condition.

Guests can discuss their own dementia diagnosis or someone else’s, obtain advice from the home’s dementia advisor and the frailty team, and meet new friends in a calm and safe environment.