A GREENOCK care manager has become a dementia champion after completing a university programme.

Barbara Lawson, deputy manager at Kincaid House completed the six-month course and graduated in March.

The purpose of the course was to better equip participants with knowledge on how to improve experiences for people living with dementia, their families and carers.

Barbara said: “I’ve worked with people with a diagnosis of dementia for years within care homes, but usually at later stages when they are no longer able to reside in their own homes. 

“This course was particularly focused on improving the experience, care, treatment and outcomes for people with dementia, both in care and community settings.

“I found it really valuable to gain better insight into the progression of dementia, and to learn about real techniques for working with people at all stages that I hadn’t previously considered. 

“We always want our residents to feel as comfortable and safe as possible so this programme will really help us to continue making improvements to our dementia care plans.”

As part of the course run by the University of the West of Scotland, Barbara created a community poster outlining the improvements to the quality of dementia care, which was selected as one out of hundreds of entries to be exhibited at the National Dementia Conference.

Kincaid House Care Home, located on Oakfield Terrace, Greenock, is run by Meallmore, a leading provider of nursing and residential care in Scotland, run by experienced qualified nursing and care staff.