Stonebridge Dedicated dementia & mental health care

Stonebridge is, first and foremost, a home; some of us work here, some of us live here, but whatever we’re doing, we’re doing it together.
We have come to understand that there needs to be a huge shift in dementia care and that the only way to achieve it is to make the commitment – learn, change, grow – be prepared to get it wrong and try again – understanding always that people have placed huge trust in us and the responsibility that accompanies this can be overwhelming if you don’t retain a clear, undimming vision.
We believe that the challenges our residents face can be met, sometimes overcome, when everyone works together – staff, family, friends, health & social care professionals – and that positive relationships between all these groups produce positive, life-affirming care.
We acknowledge the achievements, joys, tragedies and regrets that have shaped our residents’ lives, and know that our position in sharing part of their journey is both a privilege and a responsibility.

A person-centred dementia care unit will be full of “stuff”, and you will no doubt be encouraged to add to it! We know from current research that a key element of advancing dementia is the need to be busy, to go to work, to be meaningfully occupied. Not for our dementia residents the formality of activity sessions – we aim to have “stuff” going on all of the time, maintaining short but plentiful interactions with all residents. Our staff may not look much like butterflies, but that’s how we want them to work – continuous movement and interaction. Tables with books and newspapers; hat-racks covered with caps, scarves, bonnets; toolboxes; kitchen equipment; lots and lots of ornaments that residents can pick up and take away or deposit somewhere they feel more appropriate! You will find rummage boxes of material of different colours and textures tipped on to the floor for people to pick up, stroke, hold against their face – and before blind panic sets in here, yes, we are acutely aware of Health & Safety , infection control and risk assessment! But we are also responsible for helping people with dementia live their lives in ways that are good and right for them, even if that means learning to cope with situations and activities that seem a bit, well, odd.