Ulverston unit’s outstanding care for dementia patients rewarded

A CARE home has received a prestigious accolade for the specialist facilities it provides for people with dementia.

The Beckside unit at Cumbria County Council’s Elmhurst Residential Home in Priory Road, Ulverston, has been awarded gold certification by the University of Stirling after a refurbishment earlier this year.

The university is recognised as one of the country’s leading experts on care for people with dementia, and praised the many improvements made including signs to help people find their way around, better lighting and a new sensory garden.

Coun James Airey, cabinet member responsible for adult social care, said: “The changes we have made to Elmhurst are at the cutting edge of current thinking on how to care for people with dementia.

“It can be the little things that make a big difference to lives.

“For example, someone with dementia could see a white toilet as just a vague blur, but a distinctly coloured toilet is recognisable to them and means they can go use the toilet by themselves.

“The knowledge that we’re building at Elmhurst will help us shape our services elsewhere.”

Auditors said they were ‘extremely impressed’ with the work achieved within the constraints of an existing home that was built in the 1980s.