Mandy’s Musings.
A very warm welcome to Rhencullen Care Group and my very first blog!
My name is Mandy Croshaw, and I am the owner and managing director of Rhencullen Care Group.
We have three care homes providing true person-centred care for older people living with a dementia.
‘Person Centred Care’ mmm …… I am sure you would have heard this term, but what does it actually mean? It essentially means being treated as a whole human being – as an individual.
As an organisation the term Person Centred for us is about creating a culture where we bring about the best in the people who live with us and our staff team, this in turn creates a family of people living and working together which is exactly what we are.
My career has spanned over 26 years now and I have a very clear vision of what person-centred care should both look and feel like. People need to be treated with dignity and their individualities respected and celebrated. We are all people, right? So why should living with dementia be any different?
At Rhencullen we see moving into our homes as a new chapter, of course this can be a difficult and a worrying time for all to start with, but we soon see people blossom, rekindle lifelong hobbies, make new friends, and generally enjoy life, there is no secret here, we just love to keep people busy and occupied! With the perfect level of support, a pinch of Rhencullen magic and a little positive risk taking this is completely achievable!
It is so easy to see the illness and not the person, but they are still there, they just need a little help and support to flourish and that is exactly what we do.
Over the next few months, I will be taking you on our journey with us, we are constantly striving for improvement, providing passionate outstanding care and hopefully now after such a terrible time for everyone throughout the world we can start to integrate back into society as we used to …… days out, community clubs, family and friends afternoon teas and cheese and wine evenings will soon be part of our everyday activities once again.
As my blog grows, I will also be writing about best practice, the latest research in dementia care and the ‘Rhencullen way of life.’ Life is a passionate gift, full of amazing people, feelings and events, dementia should not stop this experience, people still to feel they matter and contribute to society, and this is our aim. You will see how we enjoy life every day!
I have attached our visions and values for you, to give you a little taste of things to come.
So please continue to follow me and enjoy my tips, day to day life experiences at Rhencullen join me in all the fun we have in each care home every day!
Best wishes and take care.
‘til next time’
Mandy
