A number of grants will be available for independent residential care homes, including nursing homes and local hospices who wish to make improvements such as lighting, decoration, signage and furniture which meets nationally recognised standards.
The county council will award grants of up to £20,000 per home - this must be match-funded to make improvements for the benefit of residents with dementia. The £1million will cover training courses for residential homes in the county and approximately 48 grants.
Free training courses are also available for care homes which are not applying for grants under this scheme.
Simple changes such as different colours on walls and door frames, plain carpets that are similar in colour and texture and clear signage on rooms and cupboards can help reduce stress and anxiety levels of people with dementia. They also provide a safer environment by reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls.
In order to qualify for funding people responsible for the homes must attend a training day where they will learn about principles of good design for dementia-friendly environments from the University of Stirling Dementia Services Development Centre.
The successful homes will also need to complete a full audit process which will help them identify areas for improvement and access specialist training for their staff so that residents with dementia get the very best from the scheme.
Cumbria County Council began a programme of investment in it's own residential care homes in 2010. The first scheme at Elmhurst, Ulverston was awarded the University of Stirling Gold Standard for dementia design. The same standards were used in subsequent schemes to upgrade a further five homes across the county with an investment of over £800,000. During 2012/13 a further £1.5million will be invested to upgrade 10 more Cumbria Care homes across the county.
There are approximately 7,000 people living with dementia in Cumbria and this is expected to almost double to 13,000 by 2030. Cumbria County Council is investing nearly £2million over the next two years to improve dementia care services in the county.
As well as improvements to facilities such as care homes the investment will be used to provide extensive training for staff, improved information and advice for the public on all aspects of dementia, and to pilot a Dementia Adviser service to support and advise people with dementia and their families, particularly around the point of diagnosis.
The University of Stirling has also been commissioned to conduct a two-stage survey which will see the public asked now about their experiences of dementia, before being asked again in two years to measure improvements.
Cllr James Airey, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, said: "This is a major investment which will benefit the county for many years and we hope as many independent residential care homes as possible apply for a grant - it's key that we work with the private sector.
"In Cumbria we're facing the challenge of an ageing population and in increase in those diagnosed with dementia. We want to support people to remain in their own homes where appropriate and improve access to specialist care for those most in need.
"A safe, well designed living environment, either at home or in residential care, is a key part of providing the best care for people with dementia."
For further information on attending the free training course or applying for a grant, contact donna.story@cumbria.gov.uk
Contact:
Donna Story, 01228 226966