Care and Training

IOS Care have provided care and support to vulnerable adults and children for almost 10 years. We also provide care specific training to home care agencies, care homes and individuals who look to improve their skills.

Investing

The next natural step for IOS Care was to have their own care facility and in April 2017 we purchased an old 70 bed care home in the Rhondda. Lisa Smith our registered manager said "we wanted to give something back to the community by creating our own modern facility in an area that needs it". Caring for people with Dementia is a big part of what we do and we hold it very close to our hearts as it can effect anyone at anytime.

Dementia

Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, or a series of strokes or other illnesses. Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. Around 60-70% of people with dementia have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Around 10-20% have vascular dementia, which results from an interrupted blood supply to the brain. Some people may have a mixture of the two conditions. There are many other less common forms of dementia, such as frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, often associated with Parkinson’s disease.

It is also recognised that dementia is more common in people with learning disabilities and Down’s syndrome.

The Challenge of Dementia

As our population ages, dementia is one of the most significant health and social care issues we face. Figures suggest that dementia is already costing our society in Wales up to £1.4bn a year.

The statistics tell us that 1 in 16 people aged 65 or over, and 1 in 6 aged 80 or over, will be affected by dementia and this will affect more women than men. Improved life expectancy means that as more people are living longer, more people are developing dementia.

Our Unit

Our aim is for people with Dementia to live well for as long as possible.

The unit will create an environment where the service will be individualised to focus on what can be done, rather than on what can no longer be done.

The unit will focus on maintaining the everyday needs our residents may have thought that they had left behind, facilities will include a cinema room, a lovely garden, lounges, a café, a pub, and a Kitchen’ where residents can bake bread, prepare vegetables and make the most of a homely and safe kitchen environment with support from our highly trained care team.

We will also have a bus, therefore our residents will always have the option of being part of the local community for as long as possible.

Our director Chris James stated "its been an absolute pleasure to invest in such a rewarding cause, dementia affects many people and with our ageing population could affect many more".

Training manager Russell Stark said "we have upskilled our training and enhanced our reputation ten folds over the past few years, now is an exciting time to use our knowledge and experience to benefit those in need of it".

New Chapter

Work is proposed to start on this amazing new project in March, any donations are extremely appreciated. We aim to raise awareness of Dementia regardless of any donations made.

We are performing a series of events over the next 12 months to help raise funds and awareness, if you would like to know more or even take part please call the IOS Care office on 02920 538943.