New opening
sunlight/daylight, with lower-level warmer hues in the morning and evening, and brighter, more vibrant, blue-type white hues in the middle of the day, in order to promote the natural circadian rhythms of those residents living with dementia. The intention is to help residents
naturally regulate themselves, and thus better instigate when it is time to rise and be active, and when it is time to rest and be calm. Signature hopes to see residents achieve better sleeping patterns, as well as better cope with the changes of the day, mitigating behaviours such as sundowning. Throughout this area, lighting in each
bedroom and communal area can be programmed separately. Scene lighting can also be preset in all spaces, so that staff can quickly switch a bedroom to a calming level of light no matter what time of day it is. Suites at Signature at Highgate are generous in size and can be furnished according to residents’ wishes (and the depth of their pockets), although they may bring their own furniture with them – fire regulations allowing. Televisions are networked, meaning that they can display daily menus, activities, and other useful information.
In terms of back-of-house, everything is again present and correct, with laundry rooms and kitchens all pleasingly high-spec. This being Billionaire’s Row, Signature at Highgate naturally boasts a basement car park (complete with ample EV charging), and this is the first Signature home to feature car park lifts rather than a ramp – another nod towards maintaining an approximation of the period façade. The home has its own minibus, and residents are welcome to bring their own cars.
Safety monitoring Following a successful pilot at Signature at Reigate Grange, Signature has become the first corporate care group to commit to having CCTV safety monitoring for residents living with dementia in all its homes, courtesy of Care Protect. Wayne explains how this works: “[Safety monitoring] is optional for families and for residents. It’s monitored by a third party, not by Signature … It is in this building, and it will be in all our buildings moving forward. We’re working through our existing portfolio of homes at the moment.” Only Care Protect can view the live streams from the CCTV cameras. Audio is monitored by a combination of random human review and AI, with Care Protect employing a team of experienced carers and people who have worked in care regulatory roles. Flagged incidents are reviewed and, if appropriate, referred to the relevant care manager via an alert which will include an explanation of why the incident has been flagged. A recording of the incident will also be included. Alerts can range from a resident
displaying behaviours that the care manager might need to take account of, to training and PPE issues. While this could mean a carer being flagged for not wearing their mask in the correct way, it also means identifying staff who have delivered exceptional care. The Signature at Reigate Grange pilot saw the introduction of a ‘golden moments of care’ program, where moments of exceptional care are used both as examples to help train staff but also so that the carer responsible gets recognition for their work. Signature is looking to roll this initiative out to all its homes.
All of which means that, as well as
the obvious advantage of improving resident safety, Signature clearly sees the introduction of safety monitoring as a means of supporting staff training and coaching, and further driving the personalisation of care. Naturally, Signature staff expressed reservations at the start of the Signature at Reigate Grange trial – nobody wants to be ‘watched’ at work, after all – but Wayne points out that staff have been won over by reassurance safety monitoring can bring. “Dementia is a very difficult disease,
and if you have a dementia resident say: ‘she hit me’ or ‘he pushed me’, then the staff feel very vulnerable,” he says. “[Safety monitoring] gives a degree of reassurance to staff that, if there is an incident, it can be reviewed.”
Blazing a trail Signature has worked closely with campaigner Jayne Connery and her Care Campaign for the Vulnerable on the Reigate trial and subsequent safety monitoring rollout. After my visit, I asked Jayne about her successful experience working with Signature and its CEO Kay Cox, and she told me:
“It’s indeed a very positive time for
CCFTV, working with providers including [Signature] who are implementing independent safety monitoring. It has been a privilege working with Kay Cox and her dedicated team … CCFTV are proud to collaborate with Signature Senior Living, as they have wholeheartedly supported our campaign to implement independent monitoring systems in all dementia care communities. Their commitment to this cause exemplifies their dedication to providing the highest standard of care. “It is a privilege to work alongside Signature Senior Living, and we are confident that their proactive approach will inspire other providers to consider the benefits of implementing similar technologies in their care services.” Wayne tells me that, following the Reigate pilot, staff and residents’ families alike have been won over by the benefits of safety monitoring, despite any initial misgivings. As Signature at Highgate grows its resident population, and more and more people come to live in and experience this truly impressive home, it will be interesting to see how many families opt in to safety monitoring, and whether Signature’s trailblazing adoption of this technology will set a broader care trend.
22
n
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com March 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46
