Winsome Care Ltd provides specialist supported living services for people living with dementia across Liverpool and wider Northwest. We recognise that dementia is a progressive condition that affects each person differently, and that effective support must be tailored to the individual's stage of dementia, their unique history, personality, preferences, and remaining abilities.
Our approach is guided by NICE Guideline NG97 (Dementia: Assessment, Management and Support for People Living with Dementia and Their Carers), the well-established principles of person-centred dementia care developed by Professor Tom Kitwood, and the framework set out in the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia 2020.
At the heart of our dementia support is the principle that we see the person first, not the diagnosis. Every person living with dementia has a unique life story, personality, and set of preferences that do not disappear with their diagnosis. Our role is to maintain the person's identity, dignity, and sense of self throughout their journey, adapting our support as their needs change.
We undertake detailed life history work with every person we support, including a "This is Me" or equivalent document that captures the person's background, family, career, interests, routines, and preferences. This information is invaluable in helping staff understand the person, provide meaningful conversation, recognise what behaviours may mean, and create a sense of familiarity and comfort.
We develop tailored communication strategies for each person, adapted to their abilities and adjusted as the condition progresses. Staff are trained to use simple, clear language, maintain eye contact, allow time for responses, use visual cues and prompts, and avoid correcting or challenging the person in ways that cause distress.
We provide structured but flexible daily routines that offer reassurance and reduce confusion, whilst remaining responsive to the person's mood and wishes on any given day. Routines are built around what the person enjoys and finds comforting, not around staff convenience.
We ensure that every person has access to meaningful activities that draw on their interests and abilities. This might include music, gardening, cooking, art, reminiscence, gentle exercise, or simply spending time in familiar, comfortable surroundings. Activities are offered, never imposed, and staff are trained to recognise and respond to non-verbal expressions of enjoyment or distress.
We provide specialist nutrition and hydration monitoring for people who may forget to eat or drink, or who may have difficulty with swallowing. Staff are trained in dysphagia awareness and work closely with speech and language therapists and dietitians to ensure that each person's nutritional needs are met safely and with dignity.
We work with housing providers to ensure that the living environment promotes safety, orientation, and comfort. This may include clear signage, good lighting, contrasting colours, familiar personal items, and the removal of environmental hazards. We understand the impact of the environment on wellbeing and behaviour and take this into account in everything we do.
All staff supporting people living with dementia complete specialist training covering:
We understand that dementia affects not just the person diagnosed but their entire family and support network. We work in genuine partnership with families, keeping them informed, involving them in care decisions, and providing emotional support and signposting to specialist organisations such as the Alzheimer's Society, Dementia UK, and local carers' groups.
We would love to hear from you. Whether you are looking for supported living for yourself, a family member, or someone you work with professionally, our team is ready to help.
