Tanglewood is First in UK to champion dementia research

Tanglewood Care Homes, which has homes in Horncastle, Coningsby, Alford, Boston and Spalding, has pledged a commitment to JDR, a national campaign which allows people from all over the country to register as vital participants into dementia research.

Five members of staff from Tanglewood received certificates from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) for taking part in vital research with the trust.

These were Sue Bell (Tanglewood, Horncastle), Karl Smith (Toray Pines, Coningsby), Mel Hinton (Sandpiper, Alford) and Lauren Sharman and Sam Jackson (Cedar Falls, Spalding).

LPFT provides specialist health and social care services for people with a learning disability and/or mental health issues.

They were the first whole NHS organisation to become Join Dementia Research champions, and their research team have been supporting Tanglewood to become JDR Champions.

Tracy Ann Shelbourn, Director and founder at Tanglewood Care Homes, said: “We’re proud to support any initiative which aims to improve the lives of residents living with dementia and the lives of their families.

“As Join Dementia Research Champions we can help to find a cure for this condition sooner.

“We felt this year was the right time to sign up, not only because we are huge supporters of this work, but because it also coincides with the 70th birthday of the NHS.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the achievements of one of the nation’s most loved institutions and dedicated staff - and becoming JDR champions is our gift to them.”

Having obtained this new status, Tanglewood is pledging to integrate JDR within all areas of its overall provision of care for residents with dementia and the support given to their relatives. As part of this new role, staff will commit to:

• including Join Dementia Research in staff induction and training so that all staff know about it and feel confident to talk to residents and relatives about it

• displaying information about the service in all of its homes

• telling all residents and their families about Join Dementia Research so that every relative is given information on a consistent basis

Tracy McCranor, Research and Development Coordinator at LPFT said: “The Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) research delivery team have been the driving force to raise awareness of Join Dementia Research in our trust and across the wider county health and social care environment.

“We have led this work with great enthusiasm and many county residents are now taking part in research as a result of Join Dementia Research.

“We are very proud to be supporting Tanglewood as JDR Champions.”

The aim of the JDR campaign, run by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is to achieve early diagnosis so that better treatment and care can be provided to those with dementia.

The campaign is now is calling for more volunteers to take part in studies and clinical trials for an insight into dementia and its causes.