Clifden House – Maximise Your Time Together

Visiting a friend or relative in a care home provides you with some precious, uninterrupted quality time together. Nial Joyce of Clifden House Dementia Care Centre, Seaford gives his advice on how to make the most of every visit.

1. Plan your visit: It is often a good idea to speak to the care team and ask them to recommend the best time of day to visit. If you can, call ahead so you can be prepared for whatever mood your friend or relative is in that day. Be prepared to be flexible and set aside as much time as possible.

2. Bring memories with you: If it has been

a while since your last visit you may find it useful to bring something with you to spark conversation or help unlock memories. A picture album is a fantastic way of remembering happy times.

3. Plan an activity: Even if mobility is an issue, there are still plenty of things you can do together. For a change of scene, you may want to spend time in the garden or on the seafront. Alternatively, bring a game, jigsaw puzzle or DVD of a favourite film you have enjoyed together in the past.

4. Join in with our activities: At Clifden

House we run a range of individual and group activities to stimulate our residents’ engagement with the world around them. Visitors are encouraged to join in and enjoy these activities together.

5. Stay for a meal: We encourage visitors to stay for lunch – our beach-themed café serves nutritious, home-cooked meals and we are happy to accommodate specific dietary needs.

6. Bring someone with you: Is there a

friend or neighbour that the resident used to see regularly but who now struggles to keep in touch? Offer to bring them with you. Or get them to record a video message on your phone so that you can share this with the resident – and then record their reply!

7. Keep trying: Although conversations may not always be possible, you will both gain great comfort by simply being together. Try to enjoy the time you have together while you can and cherish the memories you have.

Clifden House delivers highly qualified and personal dementia care to suit the needs of each resident. Our aim is to facilitate each person to continue to live a fulfilling and active life, with privacy, dignity and security, for as long as possible.

www.clifdenhouse.co.uk Tel: 01323 896460