Dementia Care

Dementia covers a range of symptoms, which can include confusion, memory loss, delusion and difficulties with communication. It is not a disease, rather a set of symptoms accompanying conditions that affect the brain, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s, followed by vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia.

Dementia is progressive and will affect each person in a different way. A person living with dementia may find it difficult to concentrate, become easily anxious, upset or withdrawn or feel overwhelmed when it comes to making choices. Dementia can create problems with co-ordination and orientation, visual blind spots and perception such as judging spaces and distances.

When is dementia care appropriate? 

A person living with dementia may require a specialist dementia care home when they are struggling to live independently or it is becoming difficult to keep on top of their care needs and therefore it is no longer safe for them to remain in their own home. The later stages of dementia can be challenging for both the person living with the condition and those close to them. It can be hard to know when the time is right for a person with dementia to move into a care home – and who should make the decision, if the person can’t make it themselves. However, specialist dementia care can help to meet their needs as their condition progresses, and eases the burden and distress of those who’ve been caring for them.

While all Forest Care homes can accommodate residents with early dementia (including Rowan Lodge, our care home in Hampshire), Holly Lodge is our award-winning purpose-built specialist dementia care home in Surrey, offering both residential dementia care and nursing dementia care, and welcoming residents with different conditions and stages of dementia.

Holly Lodge uses contemporary design to create calming, homely and stimulating environments, with colourful digital wallpapers of familiar destinations, such as a post office, café or garden shed for reminiscence therapy, and soft furnishing of varying textures to allow residents to easily distinguish between items. Little touches such as memory boxes filled with photos and memorabilia are a talking point and orientation aid enabling residents to easily find their bedrooms.

Our dedicated activity teams organise a variety of fun, engaging and multi-sensory group and one-to-one activities and experiences to help improve concentration, communication, encourage reminiscence and social interaction. Activities include ‘Guess the scent’ games, baking and gardening with different aromas and textures, colourful and textural arts & crafts, Pets as Therapy visits (alpacas, piglets and penguins to name a few!), incorporating themed props into live music sessions and cultural events, and textured balls during exercises.

At Forest Care, we involve families in care and activity planning and use life story work to shape the way we engage with our residents in an interesting and meaningful way. A personal understanding of what really matters to each resident, the things they enjoy, their life histories and their achievements, all helps to create a reassuring and stimulating environment.

“Holly Lodge is an excellent dementia care home, it’s spotlessly clean the staff are really caring they all do a fantastic job, activities team are brilliant. My mother has only been here for 5 weeks and after a bad experience in another care home. I’m so grateful to Holly Lodge for putting my mind at ease and knowing my mother is safe and very well cared for so thank you, Holly Lodge. If you’re looking for a dementia care home I would highly recommend Holly Lodge it’s one of the best.” Relative review on carehome.co.uk

Our compassionate, experienced and dementia care trained teams provide 24/7 support for your loved ones at every stage of their dementia journey, filling their days with activities that bring joy and provide a sense of purpose and achievement.

Our doors are always open for families, for a cup of tea or to toast a special occasion, and we are always here if you wish to talk about your loved one’s care or any aspect of the home.