Teresa O’Sullivan, Centre Coordinator at Jewish Care’s Sam Beckman Centre for people living with dementia, shares how their specialist, person-centred approach is making a transformative impact on the lives of those they support.
When Sandra first arrived at the Centre as a new member, she was quiet and introverted, this was just a few months ago. Sandra didn’t accept anything to eat or drink, not even a cup of tea, and she wouldn’t make eye contact.
There was some concern that the Centre wasn’t right for Sandra, However, I really believed that we could support her. Our staff team and volunteers gave her time, gentle encouragement and support, until she felt more comfortable, so we could find out what really mattered to her.
Sandra has two sons, Murray and Michael, who told us that their Mum dotes on her five beautiful grandchildren. Sandra grew up in the East End and was a very talented dressmaker. She was 19 when she married Ronnie and has two sons, Murray and Michael. She became a homemaker and later, a fundraiser, for many charities including Cancer Research UK, raising millions of pounds for the North London Hospice with a team of fundraisers.
They first went to the doctor in 2014 as Sandra was experiencing some memory loss and repeating herself. After scans a few years later it was confirmed that she had mild cognitive impairment and her memory became progressively worse since. The family heard about the centre and Sandra started to attend.
It was the choir that turned out to be the activity which really made the difference and after some time, the choir sessions helped Sandra to engage and begin to shine so we could get to know her.
Sandra began to sing and join in, and from her engagement in this creative activity. During the choir sessions we saw her body language begin to change, she was making eye contact and from there, Sandra also started to make little jokes with people and show us that she has a cheeky sense of humour and a warm personality. It was amazing to see this transformation since she arrived with us to join the Sam Beckman community.
Now Sandra is a regular and she went on the trip when we took the members to Coventry for the Care Homes Got Talent competition to perform with the choir.
Sandra also enjoys the international session with Hartbeeps, singing and using the props alongside the toddlers who come. They have such lovely interactions together, which Sandra says it takes her back to memories of my youth.
With encouragement, Sandra participates in some gentle exercise, lifting light weights, along with a lot of helpful tips from Caeser Okeyo, our Programme Assistant, on how to stay active, be healthy and continue to do the things you love and enjoy. Sandra shared that she does a lot of painting at home, when she finds the time. There is entertainment and Sandra’s love for music shines through, as she taps her feet, sings along and then when invited, will dance along to Will Smith’s tunes from the 1950s and 60s.
The staff and volunteers, along with Sandra’s son’s, feel that Sandra’s time at the Centre has been transformational. They tell us that at home with her carer, she had become quite reclusive, but she is now far more engaged and animated. Although she says very little about her time there, we send her sons’ photos and they can see that in the moment she clearly really enjoys herself in a safe and caring environment. They feel that the person-centred support and activities at the Centre have given a real focus and purpose to Sandra’s week.
From our perspective it seems that Sandra was able to find the kind of stimulation she needed to enjoy her time, be engaged and present. It gives us so much pleasure to see this, there really is no greater reward than this, in the work we do.
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