Philosophy of Care

The most common mental illness in the elderly is dementia of which there are several types. Dementia causes damage to different areas of the brain in different individuals - therefore no two residents can be considered as having the same illness. Ensuring that we treat each resident as an individual is an essential part of the care we deliver and also figures heavily in our staff training.

[ Courtyard ] Much of the work of our care staff involves the physical care of our residents, as elderly people with dementia need frequent assistance in daily life. However at Abbendon the quality of human contact in giving care to our residents is of the utmost importance, and the kindness of touch and talk is constantly reinforced in our culture of care. We believe that the contact between staff and residents should sometime be for the pleasure of it; we try to spend part of each day with each resident in pleasurable past time. For some of our patients only the simplest sensual pleasures are available – the enjoyment of conversation, of holding hands, the satisfaction of food and drink.

At Abbendon we are very proud of our professional, helpful staff; immense effort is put into maintaining the constantly high standards achieved in the home. The majority of our staff are either NVQ trained or are working towards their NVQ. We are firmly committed to investing in our staff and all staff receive extensive training. A high patient to staff ratio allows us to provide individually assessed care to each resident. Our team of Registered Nurses, through close liaison with a GP, are able to nurse unwell residents in the home usually avoiding admission to hospital which can be distressing for residents.