On a Resident’s first day of arrival, they will be welcomed and carefully assessed by our therapy team. This ensures they are able to receive the best support to maximise mobility, stability, safety and well-being. Our in-house therapies team quickly get to know our Residents’ individual needs and closely monitor each person to adjust support as needed.
The team also provide education and learning support to household staff, so they can deliver essential support for Residents in their day-to-day movement and activities. This is vital for moving and handling techniques and enables our Residents to feel confident when using equipment to help them walk around the home, outside or to easily move about their room. This goes a long way to supporting and maintaining independence.
Falls prevention is vitally important and we continuously assess our ‘falls trend analysis’ to provide effective strategies for Residents and households to implement in their daily lives. The team is skilled, hard-working and has a great sense of responsibility.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is an integral part of our Residents’ day-to-day life, enabling independence and confidence, as well as alleviating pain. Our therapy team offer regular group exercise classes, which can be chair-based or given through circle dancing. They can also advise on strategies for falls prevention. The team can provide a personal one-to-one service, for an additional fee, which can cover support with specific movement, strengthening, mobility and balance exercises.
Occupational therapy
The occupational therapy team carefully assess a person’s ability and how their environment can be adapted to maximise potential. Bedrooms can be modified to suit particular needs, easing getting up in the morning through to going to bed at night. Tasks such as eating and drinking can become difficult and traditional cups or cutlery become hard to use. With the support of our therapy team and introducing different utensils, these can often be easier for a Resident to use and, in turn, maintain independence.
Dietitian
Our on-site dietitian ensures Residents’ meals are nutritious, that hydration is managed and any difficulties with eating and drinking are fully supported. The dietitian also works with the multi-disciplinary team to specifically support Residents at risk of malnutrition and dehydration in our nursing and residential households. This includes advising on mealtime support, food first interventions, nutritional supplements and leading on regular assessments, screening and monitoring. The dietitian manages the communication of dietary treatment plans with the catering team and is the lead on nutritional education at Nightingale Hammerson.
Multi-sensory stimulation (namaste care)
Our skilled team members also offer multi-sensory stimulation (Namaste care) on our households where our Residents live with dementia. Namaste care is a very special group and one-to-one therapy, which involves compassionate nursing and sensory input, especially touch, which enriches a Resident’s quality of life.