PEACH Training Centre
Dementia Care Partnership is assisted by the Department of Health to set up a value based training agency called the PEACH Training Agency to raise awareness about dementia and offer Dementia Specific Training Provision. The training is underpinned by PEACH Philosophy (Person Led, Empowerment, Attachment, Continuity, Hope) and is provided involving service users, carers. Some training is delivered using drama as a vehicle to deliver challenging messages.
Aims of the service:
i) To promote the citizenship rights of people with dementia through raising awareness, understanding and acceptance of them as any other citizens and tackle negative attitudes, stigma and discrimination associated with having dementia/mental illness through public meetings and Dementia Café's as a forum for this.
ii) To develop and deliver specialist training from early stages to end of life care to Dementia Care Partnership staff, Care Homes, GPs, voluntary and community sector, private/corporate sector and other interested parties.
iii) To empower people with dementia and carers (separately) to influence training and practice.
iv) To evaluate the impact of the training in the workplace with quarterly reviews and guidance.
Description of what the service has done:
i) Currently improving and developing the training modules.
ii) Provided dementia specific training based on PEACH Philosophy to in-house and external organisations.
iii) Raised awareness and provided training for the Chinese community -thus developing training which is culturally specific.
iv) Setting up and improving the drama group.
v) Empowered service users and carers to take part in the training.
What are the resource implications of this example? How has it been funded?
Funded by Dept Health: Social Enterprise Pathfinder.
i) Resource implications relate to time and man power - working with clients and carers require greater understanding time and patience.
ii) Needed to ensure carers are being objective in the training delivery and not personalising the situation or training as a forum to vent pent up anger and frustrations.
iii) Would like to video successful interactions with client's consent, but need to ensure ethical approval is available.
What have been the challenges and solutions in setting up and maintaining the service?
In addition to the above,
i) Working with clients and carers has to be continuous so that we are not relying on one or two individuals.
ii) One training manager cannot provide all training; therefore training the trainers becomes a crucial aspect of the work.
iii) Delays in setting up the social enterprise and setting up the business board so that all those participating have a sense of ownership and achievement in making a difference to the training, practice and generally raising awareness.
Outcomes :
i) Improved awareness about nature of dementia and acceptance at the neighbourhood and community levels.
ii) Improved dementia care practice based on PEACH value base through work place evaluation.
iii) Setting up of focus group of people with dementia and carers trained as trainers and members of the drama group to deliver training.
iv) Setting up of the PEACH Training Centre and bring to fruition the business board for the training agency.
All aspects of the agency will follow SMART outcomes and be evaluated in line with Social Return on Investment criteria's.
Plans for the future:
To become a Community Interest Company and create a sustainable individual company specialist in Dementia Care and achieve the above aims and outcomes.