Haviland House offers dedicated residential and nursing care in a purpose-built environment for people living with dementia. Across all Guild Care Homes, including Linfield House and Caer Gwent, we strive to create an environment where there is love and laughter for every resident, every day. We know that this starts with ensuring there is the best possible clinical care and investment in market-leading equipment, training and services.

In this article, we look at the introduction of acoustic monitoring and the difference it is making to our residents at Haviland House and their loved ones.

Future-proof technology

At Guild Care, our person-led approach to care means we can adapt to suit each individual on every step of their journey with us. Our charitable status allows us to reinvest back into our homes and we are always looking at the latest innovations in dementia care, as well as regularly upgrading our facilities and providing 24/7 nursing. Earlier this year, we introduced an acoustic monitoring system at Haviland House and gave all residents and their families the choice to use it.

The innovative technology operates during the night and is installed in residents’ rooms, allowing us to discreetly monitor any disturbances by picking up the smallest change in sound and irregular noises - before alerting our team. This might be a change to their breathing pattern or noises made if they wake up unexpectedly and the system is very effective in reducing incidents such as falls. As with our approach to all care, we tailor the system to each individual so that it detects any irregularities.

Round-the-clock care

Acoustic monitoring supplements our round-the-clock nursing care and every member of the team is trained in how to use the technology, so they can respond to alerts and act on them immediately. Previously, our nursing team conducted hourly checks on residents throughout the night, which remains effective but can be disruptive to sleep. Thanks to the system, these checks occur silently via the monitoring system, every second of every night, in addition to in person visits, helping us to resource our staff more effectively so that care is given whenever and wherever it is needed.

The system has been incredibly well received by staff, residents and families alike, with all users reporting greater peace of mind. Residents are sleeping better and case studies of the technology being used elsewhere show that reports of night-time falls have reduced significantly. We are currently analysing the data from our initial months of using the system and expect to see similar patterns, with plans to roll it out to our other homes in the future.

As well as training on how to use acoustic monitoring, we also invest in giving our team best-in class training in dementia care. Our “I’m still me” programme is a bespoke person-centred dementia training scheme that we developed here at Guild Care, using industry best practice and our own decades of experience. This accompanies our relationship experience training that all staff complete and refresh on a regular basis. Together, the training, our constant reinvestment in the latest technology and equipment, alongside our specially curated activity schedule filled with music and pet therapy, ensures that those living with dementia feel safe, happy and fulfilled.

Call 01903 327327 or contact [email protected] to talk to our friendly team about affordable care options and special limited time offers for new residents.