Tasmania's new world-leading dementia village
Tasmania's extremely anticipated new dementedness small town, Korongee, "does non experience like a nursing rest home" and offers residents significant independence, patc at the same time ensuring they are good and secure, says Mae William Wilkie Collins, whose husband Gary, 62, sick into Korongee earlier this year.
Gary was diagnosed with young-oncoming dementedness five geezerhood ago – at the get on of only 57.
The 'Village' aspect was "precise important" to the kinsperson, who can at present follow secure that Gary will receive the care and support atomic number 2 needs as his dementia progresses.
"For us as a family, with someone so young, it was a much harder decision to put someone into care and comes with additional complexities," Mae aforementioned in an electronic mail to HelloCare.
Korongee, with its more 'normal' environment and activities, was Thomas More suitable for Gary than traditional secure dementedness units, the menag strongly believed.
Mae says the movement has been freeing for her, and Gary has been happy, all in all, with the change too.
"I can directly be more of a wife to Gary once more, lease those at Korongee allow him the care, taking that caring role dispatch my shoulders and giving Pine Tree State the space to enjoy moments with Gary while we can," Mae said.
A staggered opening for parvenu residents
Every hebdomad, two new residents move into Korongee, Tasmania's innovative new dementia Village which wide-eyed its doors earlier this year. The phased opening allows residents time to settle in, but it besides helps existing residents adjust to having a new companion in their home.
Yet eight people wish sleep in each theater, and there are three houses on four cul de sac de sacs. However, only 2 houses are open at this stage, as Korongee takes narrow steps forward to increase capacity.
The abode is a shake for Tasmania's dementia care sector. It non only offers attractive, purpose-made new digs and revolutionises the way stave care for residents, with a concentre on supporting and encouraging residents, rather than ticking off a heel of tasks, merely it also uses world-leading technology to match similar residents in each mansion.
A village environment
From the time he was diagnosed, Gary understood his unwellness you said it it progressed, and together, he and his married woman Mae were able to talk openly about IT, and implement changes that helped them both manage as best they could.
Notwithstandin, over the last some years, Gary developed paranoia and delusional episodes. "These were often difficult to deal with," Mae wrote.
The episodes often occurred in the early hours of the morning, affecting some his and Mae's sleep, and even though medicinal dru helped, Gary eventually had an episode that really frightened Mae.
That was the induction for Gary to move into residential care, and he did thus the really next week.
Though Gary did non call up the incident that prompted his go in care, he was aware that something had changed, and he was still able to be convoluted in making the decision, merely as he had been engaged in most other decision making dormie to that point.
He had always glorious a go into care might be necessary – "whether he liked it or not", Mae said.
Gary had had a few experiences with respite care in 2022 that leftfield him "very angry" and "confused", and the fellowship were nervous he would non "settle on well" into care.
Simply on Gary's suggestion, the family – Mae, Gary and their deuce children, son Dylan (30 years) and Emily (27) – nevertheless looked at six nursing homes with certified dementia units over the last year or so.
They also closely followed the development of Korongee from the moment they heard well-nig it and felt a dementia village "with normal environments and activities" would suit Gary better than traditional dementedness homes.
Applications to Korongee coincidently opened shortly afterwards Gary began to experience increased paranoia and neurotic episodes, and the family's tour of the village coincided with Gary's episode that frightened Mae. The tour of duty became much than equitable a visit; the family was also evaluating if the Greenwich Village would cost a upright fit for Gary.
And they decided it was. Gary moved in the favorable week.
"We never called information technology a home or care, we called it Korongee or the village, and that was to be his new abode," Mae aforesaid.
The move has gone "major than we anticipated", Mae said.
Because Gary is so young, he prat accession an NDIS programme, which Mae manages. The two carers who supported Gary at home were able to continue supporting him at Korongee, which has provided reassuring continuity and has enabled Mae to continue working a mate days a hebdomad.
Gary has continued to beryllium engaged in his community, he swims and gets out and about.
"He has times of frustration and confusion, however, overall helium has settled in well," Mae said.
A residential area-like feel
Gary's favored aspect of Korongee is the cafe, to which he hindquarters walkway independently and induce a mocha. He enjoys the company of Julie, who runs the coffee shop, and who encourages his love of music and guitar playing "when the cafe is quiet".
"He also loves helping with watering the gardens and planting vegetables with Tim the gardener.
"We are hoping that when the gymnasium gets up and running play that he will also savor using that regularly as advisable," Mae said.
"The staff are very friendly, not just the carers, but the other support staff as substantially, from the receptionists, to the cleaners and nurseryman. They each cognize Gary by name and make him look valued.
"The Village is already nonindustrial a very community-like feel and will only get more so as more residents actuate in," Mae explained.
"We're along the right track"
Lucy O'Flaherty, CEO of Glenview, the operator of Korongee, said the resident matching process they have industrial with the University of Tasmania is a world first. Residents answer a set of questions that determines their values, likes and dislikes, and other personal traits, and from that, the team determines which residents would be best suited to support put together.
"It's proving to be effective," Ms O'Flaherty told HelloCare. "There are these natural companionships, and a horse sense of intimacy, the things people are doing, the conversations they have. The philosophy we hoped to tackle with this matched process seems to be coming to fruition."
So far, the feedback from residents and families has been "amazing", though thither have been a couple of teething problems, as they expected.
Faculty have, all in all, adapted to a "huge shift" in the way they deliver care. Though instructed in how incompatible their roles would atomic number 4 at Korongee, the reality has only get clear once staff have been working on site.
Most love the Thomas More person-hundred approach where staff are guided past the resident's wishes in the moment, and directing, supporting or encouraging activities, kinda than focussing along achieving a list of tasks. Nobody is woken at Korongee either, so the days take on a varied rhythm.
However, "few" staff members haven't been able to adapt, MSc O'Flaherty admitted.
As residents step by step move into Korongee hamlet, the differences between Glenview's more traditional home is stark. "It has convinced me we are on the right track," Ms O'Flaherty said.
https://hellocare.com.au/tasmanias-new-world-leading-dementia-village/
Source: https://hellocare.com.au/tasmanias-new-world-leading-dementia-village/
0 Response to "Tasmania's new world-leading dementia village"
Post a Comment