First Residents Settled in Strathearn

IT can take time for dementia residents to adjust to a new environment, so staff were expecting some behavioural issues as the first residents settled into the new Strathearn House.

They weren’t expecting the residents to start gaining weight, become more mobile, more social and to have no behavioural incidents in the settling in period.

Gemma Adams, one of the cooks at Strathearn House has worked in aged care for decades and was surprised with the changes she has seen in the residents.

See gallery below.

“It has really blown me away, they are happy and laughing and they are more interactive, we can give more personal care and I love this part of aged care,” said Ms Adams.

“We’ve had families here over the weekend and they stimulate conversation at the table for all of the residents,” she said.

“We had one resident who had to be prompted to eat all the time, but when people are talking around the table, they just eat without prompting and you can tell they are listening because they are reacting to the conversation around them,” she said.

“They come down before dinner and they watch me cooking the food, serving it and they love it,” Gemma Adams said.

The food at Strathearn House is getting great reviews from the residents, but is also bringing the residents together.

Mark Bramble, manager at Strathearn House said the new facility is designed to have staff come in and cook each meal in an open kitchen and staff also take the time to sit and eat with the residents.

“We’ve noticed people are putting on weight, they’ve got the visual stimulation of people cooking in the kitchen, the sensory stimulation with the smell of the food cooking and we are trying to make their meal time more social,” he said.

“And after the meal we encourage them to stay and play board games and checkers to keep them at the table and social, offer them another cup of tea or coffee and keep them social,” he said.

“One resident who has come across to the new facility was self-isolating, staying in their room and had mobility issues, but since coming across here they have become very social and are walking everywhere on their own,” Mark Bramble said.

William “Doc” Fleischer said he was enjoying himself in the new home.

“I like the country here and there are a lot of nice people, it’s really a nice place,” said Mr Fleischer.

“The food is very nice, I think you can get the menus from the cook, you don’t get the same thing all the time, you get different things to eat and it’s very good,” he said.

“If I had a shop I would hire the people in there, that’s how good they are,” he smiled.

“The people who get the meals, they are really nice, they are not skinny meant they give you a nice something to eat,” he said.

“A lot of people come in and sit down and we all talk and eat at the same time,” William “Doc” Fleischer said.

The residents are encouraged to make Strathearn House their home and can help do their own laundry, hang out the washing, set the table and help water the garden.