Jan. 3, 2017—Tapestry, Barclay Friends’ highly personalized memory support program, encourages positive social interactions and a better quality of life. It is based on the premise that superior dementia care enhances freedom and personal choice. In keeping with Kendal’s values and practices, Tapestry residents participate in programs that are meaningful to them, with a focus on enhancing quality of life and honoring residents by fulfilling needs to:
- Be treated as an individual.
- Have freedom of movement—independence, autonomy and choice.
By using ever evolving technologies, Barclay Friends Tapestry Program, like all Kendal programs of this sort, allows for lots of movement and self-determinative activities, safely within the community. At Barclay Friends, all staff members are certified in Alzheimer’s Association essentiALZ,™ a nationally recognized, evidence-based, dementia care best practices training program. In addition, this enables the Barclay Friends’ team to integrate with the boarder universe of providers and caregivers determined to find a better way in memory care.
The Tapestry Program Coordinator creates a personalized, daily schedule for each resident that incorporates physical fitness, brain fitness, socialization, rest times according to the needs of residents, and, most important of all, engagement. Most of these activities take place in the Tapestry Gathering Room, designed to provide participating residents with an intimate setting to increase their level of comfort.
Each resident’s daily plan maps out the rhythm of his or her day and strives to preserve dignity and independence by encouraging participation in activities throughout the day and early evening. Residents dine in the nearby Turks Terrace, a room designed with a casual, homelike feel.
The Tapestry Program is staffed by Recreation professionals, who have special expertise in dementia care, and by Resident Assistants, who help with meals and grooming. In addition, the program has the support of an on-site licensed practical nurse and a registered nurse. Staff Art, Music and Horticultural Therapists also spend time with Tapestry participants.
The Tapestry Program’s primary focus is to give residents choices throughout each day, while providing the structure they need to make the most of those days. The goal is to slow the progression of cognitive loss by keeping residents engaged in the world around them and invested in the relationships they’ve spent a lifetime building.
TAPESTRY HELPS IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE BY:
- Encouraging independence.
- Creating daily opportunities to make decisions.
- Providing emotional support.
- Offering practical support, when needed.
- Instilling a sense of being in a safe place, that feels like “home.”
- Fostering a sense of community.
- Maintaining good health.
- Listening to personalized iPod selections through a Kendal Charitable Funds grant for Music and Memory.™
- Being surrounded by staff who focus on strengths and abilities, rather than deficits.
Posted by Larry Elveru