The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) has launched a dedicated training workshop to support the care sector with the challenges of catering for people living with a dementia, while helping to enhance their life quality.
Delivered by Dr David Sheard, the CEO and founder of Dementia Care Matters and respected expert in the field, the one-day training workshop will teach care caterers and providers how to look beyond the serving of food and turn mealtimes into beneficial, meaningful experiences.
The first training workshop takes place on Thursday 1 December 2016 at Aimia Food Limited in Haydock, Merseyside, and the second is on Friday 3 February 2017 at Brakes in Covent Garden, London.
Participants will gain valuable understanding, knowledge and tools to help them move away from mechanical, task-driven dining and implement person-centred, quality care during mealtimes for people living with a dementia.
The interactive workshop has been specifically designed to: ensure participants are clear on what person-centred dementia care looks, sounds and feels like; enable an emphasis on quality of life at mealtimes and not on tasks; seek to make sense of people’s emotional memories, why feelings matter most in dementia care and their relevance to the meal experience; inspire participants to re-think their current practice and commit to an action-based approach that their teams embrace; and achieve real improvements in the atmosphere, assessment skills, quality of engagement and nutritional value of meals for people living with a dementia.
Neel Radia, national chair of the NACC, says: “It’s been widely reported that the number of people living with a dementia is rising. It’s therefore so important that all care providers, whether in a residential care home or in the community, are fully-equipped with the right knowledge and tools to give meaningful, life-quality-enhancing care. Mealtimes play a huge role in this. The difference between an experience- and task-driven mealtime is enormous, with the former having an immensely positive impact on an individual with a dementia.
“Training is vital when it comes to meeting the specific challenges of catering for older people who may be vulnerable and the NACC is committed to supporting the sector with relevant, progressive information and guidance. The new workshops will challenge the status quo and offer new perspectives and approaches to ensure those people living with a dementia thrive through positive food and mealtime experiences. Dr David Sheard is inspirational and I guarantee the sessions will be enjoyable and emotional, and most importantly beneficial to those living with a dementia entrusted to our care.”
