‘Dementia Champions’ at Japara

As part of Japara’s commitment to providing the highest levels of support and lifestyle opportunities to residents living with dementia, each of our homes has their own designated ‘Dementia Champion’, an individual who acts as a role model and leads best practice dementia support at the home. These Dementia Champions are guided by Japara’s Dementia, Behaviour & Lifestyle Consultant, Ben Gatehouse.

The key responsibilities of a Dementia Champion include:

• Supporting the key priorities for action identified in the Dementia and Lifestyle Strategic Plan
• Providing dementia-specific advice and support to fellow staff members
• Contributing to person-centred care planning, positive risk-minimisation strategies and complex behaviour management for residents living with dementia
• Distribute dementia-related research and news to all staff members as part of a continuous learning dementia practice model
• Ensure relevant dementia information is available to family members to support a better understanding of dementia and help build dementia-friendly communities
• Identify environmental opportunities for improvement which promote choice and quality of life for residents
• Complete continuous improvement actions such as resident satisfaction surveys and environmental audit reviews
• Maintain a high professional level of contemporary dementia skills and knowledge

Read more under Thought Leadership.