Brian takes on health and safety at Ashlea Lodge Care Home!

Meet Brian: family man and resident at Ashlea Lodge Care Home. At 90 years young, Brian has come out retirement to take on the role of Health & Safety Inspector, thanks to the brilliant initiative from the Reconnect team.

Living in one of our dementia-specialist Reconnect communities, Brian came to Ashlea Lodge in 2020 after being cared for by his wife, Monica. Joanne, Deputy Manager at our Sunderland care home, told us how the Reconnect team quickly noticed a slightly unusual quirk from Brian.

“We noticed Brian was checking door handles to ensure they worked properly, which became almost habitual. We knew it had to stem from somewhere, so our Reconnect team dug into Brian’s background and discovered he had a long-standing career as a Health & Safety Inspector – suddenly, everything clicked into place and we knew exactly why he was testing all the doors.”

Part of Orchard’s Dementia Promise strategy, our Reconnect communities focus on supporting residents to remain as independent as possible whilst reconnecting with their hobbies, passions and even careers. As Health & Safety Inspector, Brian often checked door handles and locks to ensure a building’s fire door was up to code.

Only retiring at 80 years old, Joanne told us how Brian’s previous occupation plays a huge part in his individualised care plan. “When the team realised his pattern was mimicking aspects of his role, we knew how important it was to support him with his ‘job’. We gave him his very own clipboard, pen and high-vis jacket to use, and he now carries out inspections here at Ashlea Lodge – he takes his duties very seriously!”

Supporting Brian to reconnect with his previous career has given him the familiarity he needed, and he is now thriving in our care home.

“His whole demeanour has changed since he’s been able to continue his daily inspections; he’s more settled, confident and enjoys talking to fellow residents more. He’s recently joined in quiz nights, birthday parties and loves reading his newspaper and telling us the latest news.”

Ashlea Lodge Care Home was one of the first homes in the Orchard Care Homes group to launch a dementia-specialist Reconnect community.

“Our Reconnect community has made a huge difference to people living with dementia” said Gillian, Home Manager at Ashlea Lodge Care Home. “Our residents thoroughly enjoy living here, and Brian is the perfect example of how a person-centred approach to care can make a positive impact to someone’s experience in a care home.”

Living at Ashlea Lodge Care Home for four years, Brian is enjoying his time reliving his favourite aspects of his career as Healthy & Safety Inspector, with the support of our incredible Reconnect team.

Thank you to Monica and the Ashlea Lodge team for sharing Brian’s experience in one of our Reconnect communities! If you’re looking for a dementia-specialist care home in Sunderland, why not get in touch?