As part of an ongoing partnership, Encore Care Homes welcomed Haskins Garden Centre in Ferndown to its recent complimentary Virtual Dementia Tour session, to learn and experience first-hand how those living with dementia feel.

Encore Care Homes is the first care group in Dorset to offer a Virtual Dementia Tour, which provides care and health professionals as well as local businesses and members of the community, with an inside look into what it’s like to live with dementia. Training is also given on the best ways to support someone living with the disease. 

Alasdair Urquhart, in-house plant expert at Haskins, attended the recent session and found the whole experience ‘overwhelming’ but now understands how to approach a person with dementia, having learnt the correct skills to do so.

Alasdair explained: “Without a doubt, this service should be offered in schools and as part of the training offered for all customer facing roles in local businesses.

“The knowledge that I have gained through this experience is enormous. I started the session with hardly any knowledge of dementia and its effects, and now I feel that I have a much better understanding of not only how to interact with people, but also how it feels to have dementia.”

Izzy Nicholls, operations and quality director of Encore, added: “It is crucial that members of the community understand the importance of learning how to care correctly for people with dementia.

“People with dementia can often feel isolated and lonely, this is why we see it as our role to educate the community so that they can learn how to communicate with and include those who have dementia.”

The tour is run by Training 2 Care and is owned by the non-profit company Second Wind Dreams.  The tour is medically and scientifically proven to be the closest way a healthy brain is able to experience the effects of dementia.

If you are interested in future Virtual Dementia Tour sessions please call 01202 476960 or visit www.greatoaksbournemouth.co.uk