Publish date: 31 August 2023
Staff from the Mersey Cares charity are visiting projects funded by the former Dragons Den Scheme to understand the impact. They have recently visited Fern Ward at Leigh Moss Hospital, older people’s inpatient services.
Funding has allowed us to install dementia friendly door wraps on bedroom doors to support patients to distinguish their own room.
Fern Ward at Leigh Moss Hospital provides a 16 bed dementia care unit to support patients needing further assessment and treatment from the multi disciplinary team, working towards collaborative goals to support timely discharge.
With the service moving into the building in December 2021, the corridors were long and clinical. Staff at the ward recognised that plain bedroom doors on a ward for people living with dementia can be particularly confusing to service users. They can inadvertently enter someone else’s room, causing disorientation, distress and sometimes incidents with other residents.
Predominantly aged 70+, patients are usually referred from crisis, such as following an A&E admission and they may need further assessment and support before discharge.
We have now been able to purchase 16 dementia doors wraps for all bedrooms on the ward to support patients diagnosed with dementia to better distinguish their bedroom.
The purchase of dementia friendly door wraps have supported patients at Fern ward to distinguish their own room, helping reduce anxiety and making them feel more at home on the ward.
Pictured: Laura Phalp and Sarah McKeown.
Laura Phalp, Clinical Psychologist says: “It makes it more cheery and gives the corridors a bit of soul. People can connect the colours to their room, we also hope that it will help prevent people going into other patient rooms”
Sarah McKeown, Ward Manager says: “It uplifts both staff and carers too, makes the place feel loved. We’re chipping away to make some real good improvements. we'd love a mural next for the prayer room.“