Withywood success story

As Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin’s dementia respite service celebrates its seventh year, we look at how it’s changing the lives of carers and people with dementia.

Back in the days before the coronavirus pandemic we had the idea of creating an affordable, high quality dementia respite service; a place where people living with dementia could spend one day a week in safe, comfortable, stimulating surroundings, looked after by caring staff whilst their loved ones could get on with other things. The idea was realised in 2018 with our dementia respite service, set in the modern, luxury accommodation of Withywood in Shrewsbury.

Seven years on it has gone from strength to strength and we are now looking at setting up in a second venue in Telford, in large part due to the fantastic feedback we get from those currently attending. Last October we carried out a detailed evaluation of the service and these are the results, firstly in the words of one of the clients and then those of the various carers.

“I always look forward to coming here. I’m in my 90s so I’m very lucky to be able to attend. It’s my favourite day of the week; we always have such a laugh. I love coming here.”

In good hands

We asked the client’s carers what they found most beneficial about the service. This is what one gentleman told us: “It’s for both of us; I get a break and time for myself which is so valuable, and my wife has a lovely time. She loves the themes, which are really well thought-out. It’s a great mix of things she’ll be familiar with from her youth and new ideas. She is stimulated all day. The ratio of staff to service users is wonderful, so I feel totally relaxed when I drop her off, as I know she’s in good hands. It’s extremely well structured, with music, a proper meal and activities. She really loves the newsletter, she keeps them all safe in a folder, and the facts. She always tells me the interesting facts.”

Another carer had this to say: “I think it’s absolutely brilliant, it’s six hours long, which is amazing, it’s enough for me to actually do something. The staff are really, lovely, they recognise the person living with dementia as individuals. The fact that they do lots of different activities is wonderful, my husband absolutely loves it, he laughs non-stop, that interaction keeps him alive, that social interaction is so important. He loves the music and the singing. Because of him attending here and finding out how much he likes singing, he’s started taking part in singing groups. I also love that they get a good hot meal at lunch time.”

It makes such a difference

A recurring theme was just how much our amazing staff are appreciated:

• “The staff are fantastic. I see such a positive change in my dad whenever he comes. The way you tailor the service to individuals is admirable.”
• “The staff, who are fully dementia trained (are) amazing, they take that time out to talk to him and overcome his language barrier, they encourage him and allow him to take part, which I’m not sure other services would do.”
• “My mum is a very sociable person, so she loves the interaction, the staff are so kind to her, they find things she’s good at, like poetry, singing and crosswords, she adores going, from a family point of view it makes such a difference to us, as we’re her 24 hour carers, so we get an extra day to sort things out, which is brilliant.”

Overwhelmingly positive

Overall, 100% of participants in the feedback exercise said:

• they were satisfied with the service
• that it was beneficial
• that nothing was missing from the service, and
• there was nothing they’d like to be done differently.

At Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin we are used to our services being appreciated due to the efforts of our amazing teams of staff and volunteers, but we never take these things for granted, and when we get feedback as good as this it is still a thrill; our Withywood team really is very special.

To finish, a few more examples of the comments from carers which tell us all we need to know about the value of this service:

• “I just wish it was more than one day a week; my mum was one of the first people who started going and we’re really very, very satisfied with the service.”
• “I think it’s really helpful for people living with dementia, there’s not much out there and he really enjoys it… he’s always ready and excited to come. He participates in a few groups and activities, but this is definitely his favourite.”
• “He loves the social aspect, because he’s a real talker, and a joker he loves making jokes, so he can have that important social interaction, he also likes to feel useful as he participates more than some of the others and likes to try and help out. And I get a proper day where I can have free time.”

If you’d like to find out more about our dementia respite service, call Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin on 01743 2332 123 or email enquiries@ageukstw.org.uk