Two charities benefit from dementia care book profits

A book about dementia care in care homes written by Barchester’s Director of Dementia Care, Caroline Baker has raised £2,000 for charity since its publication.

St Giles Hospice and Dementia South Africa, two charities close to Caroline’s heart, were named as the chosen beneficiaries and all profits made will be split between the two organisations.

St Giles Hospice is a registered charity that strives to provide high quality care to people living with serious illnesses, such as cancer, completely free of charge.

Dementia South Africa, based in Cape Town, is a leading South African authority on all forms of dementia and aims to diminish the impact that the condition has on individuals, families and communities.

Caroline Baker’s book, ‘Developing Excellent Care for People Living with Dementia in Care Homes’ describes a specialist programme she developed in order to improve the delivery of excellent person-centred care and provides best practice guidelines for dementia care practitioners.

The book has been published in both English and German and has been praised by many other experts working within the field of dementia care. It is available for purchase on Amazon.

Caroline has always had a strong interest in dementia since studying to be a mental health nurse, and now oversees the dementia services in over 160 Barchester care homes across the whole of the UK. Caroline also worked as a Clinical Specialist in Dementia Care for a Primary Care Trust and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 National Dementia Awards for her dedication to dementia care and the development of several programmes that enhanced the well-being of several people living with the illness.

Caroline said: “Everyone with dementia is unique and we should look at caring for people with dementia in a very positive way. People with dementia should be afforded the same care as everyone else and I’m really pleased to see that starting to happen across the country and particularly with St Giles Hospice. There’s a lot more awareness about dementia, and the sometimes undetected pain, and I’d like to see that awareness continue to increase.”