Head of dementia development will drive care home group’s plans for sector leading care

MARIA Mallaband Care Group is driving the way forward for its Dementia Pledge to develop its commitment to delivering the best possible care for people living with dementia, and the best education support for its teams

Laura Steward, MMCG’s head of dementia development, has devoted her entire career, spanning more than 25 years, to social care, specialising in dementia education from 2012.

Her recent appointment in saw her take the reins of MMCG’s Dementia Pledge, involving a multipronged approach under the banner of ‘Always you…’ which includes upskilling team members and sharing best practice – all with the aim of enabling those living with dementia to live as well and as independently as possible.

As part of its Dementia Pledge, MMCG recently established the role of Dementia Ambassadors.

These trained specialists work in homes and take the lead in educating colleagues, sharing knowledge, skills, and evidence-based strategies and tools.

Laura said: “We want every member of the team to have the right knowledge, strategies, skills and compassionate understanding to respond to and care for people living with dementia across our homes in the best possible way.

“Having devoted a lot of my professional time to mentoring and coaching others I believe the most successful way to educate is harnessing that flow- down of learning.

“Our specially trained Dementia Ambassadors will show, train, lead, mentor, guide and inspire their colleagues, so that every member of the team has the confidence and know-how to improve the daily lives and experiences of those living with dementia in their care.”

Laura, who has completed vocational training throughout her career, gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Person-Centred Dementia Studies from the University of Worcester earlier this year.

This new pledge is also about offering a broad range of experience across the entire business and will drive development as well as delivering dementia education programmes and designing and improving dementia care services, with a strong focus on person-centred care.

She added: “Improving the quality of care for those living with dementia and giving people a voice is our passion at MMCG, and we been working hard to develop particular interest in upholding people’s rights and ensuring that people living with dementia have a voice, developing tailored, holistic approach to care practice for each person.

“Over the past 10 years I have really enjoyed gathering a better understanding of dementia and how to support people to have a better quality of life – and for me that doesn’t have to be more complicated than simply understanding people and meeting them where they are.

“I’m personally focussed on delivering the right education and support for team members. By making sure we pay close attention to care teams working experience we can ensure it’s less draining for them, allowing them to give their best to those in their care.

“We see the Dementia Pledge as an important element of our care offering, so we are rolling it out carefully across our homes in a timely and wellthought-out way.”

“MMCG’s commitment to delivering the best dementia care is second to none, and that level of support will allow me to have a massive impact and bring positive improvements across our homes.”

To find out more about the Maria Mallaband Care Group visit www.mmcgcarehomes.co.uk