The inspiring story of Susan: wife, grandmother and resident at Langfield Care Home

In September 2024, Susan O’Neill came to live in Langfield’s dementia-specialist Reconnect community after experiencing persistent falls and significant mobility challenges in her previous care homes. Reconnect is our innovative, specialist-model care for people living with dementia, and helps people reconnect with their lives by having a sense of purpose and contribution to their home. Now, just four months on, Susan’s husband, David, has spoken to Orchard Care Homes about the positive transformation he’s seen in his lifelong partner, thanks to the incredible team at our dementia-specialist care home in Manchester.

David and Susan have been lucky enough to enjoy a wonderful 56 years of married life together, after falling in love at just 14 and 15. Sharing the same group of friends as teenagers, they quickly became inseparable and have been by each other’s side ever since. Now, at 76 and 77, the pair are proud to have three children and four grandchildren, who they love spending time with.

When Susan first received her dementia diagnosis, David admits he felt overwhelmed by the news, but tried his best to support her. “She knew exactly what was happening to her, and she hated it. I told her it will be fine, but honestly, I had no idea whether it would be fine or not because I hadn’t experienced anything like this before, so it was totally new to me, too. All I knew is I would be there for her, no matter what.”

As Susan’s dementia quickly progressed and her needs changed, the O’Neill family sought a dementia-specialist care home in the Middleton area, and came across Langfield Care Home. Lustre, Clinical Deputy Manager, was the first to meet Susan during an initial assessment. “When I first met Susan, she was drowsy, unable to have a conversation and was using a wheelchair. She was receiving 1:1 care due to her ‘high risk’ of falling – but from looking at her extensive list of medication, I immediately knew what was happening.”

Susan’s medication was causing extreme drowsiness and lethargy, resulting in persistent falls. Our specialist dementia care team are able to conduct a thorough ongoing analysis of a person’s circumstances, including records of distress, pain assessment, how the person is engaging in life and appropriate medication use (including any anticholinergic burden on cognition). This means we can better identify causes of distress and support care planning to reduce distress.

Susan has a new lease of life and can now walk with the aid of her trusty walking frame. Viv, Home Manager at Langfield Care Home, said “Since Susan joined us, we’ve practised walking every day and have implemented light rehabilitation exercises to help build her confidence in walking. She can now freely explore her new care home and use the great facilities we have here.”

Talking about Langfield’s unique approach to dementia care, David says how Reconnect has opened his eyes to how care should be. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Susan has been in 5 different care homes now, and nothing compares to the level of personalised care that you get here.”

Our Reconnect communities offer genuine inclusion by supporting residents to remain independent, engaged and interested in daily activities of their choosing. In Susan’s case, her homely instincts led the Langfield team to adapt her person-centred care plan.

“Susan was a housewife and took pride in having a tidy, clean home,” said Lustre. “We could see that when she was able to do simple tasks like dusting or wiping a surface, she’d appear more relaxed. We’ve since encouraged Susan to make use of the kitchens within our Reconnect community, and help with gentle tasks like tidying. These acts, although small, have helped Susan feel connected with her previous lifestyle.”

The home-away-from-home environments in our Reconnect communities offer ample room for residents to continue enjoying their regular routine, plus opportunities to try something new; from gardening rooms and fully-equipped kitchens, to comfy lounges and even a mini-karaoke room (at the request of the residents), Langfield Care Home have made their community homely, welcoming and engaging.

David, who visits Susan daily, spoke honestly about how living with dementia has led to a change in how they communicate. “I can’t get through to her old memories anymore; I believe they’re gone. What I can do, however, is make memories in the present – and that’s what Langfield does so wonderfully. They help us create these special moments together by organising special days, activities and events, which is something I didn’t see in Susan’s other care homes.”

Susan’s inspiring story is the perfect example of how truly individualised, person-centred care can completely transform a person’s life, and thanks to the Reconnect team, Susan is now able to enjoy her new care home with the freedom she deserves. Thank you to David for being so honest and open with us, and for allowing us to share their story!  

Rated Good by CQC, Langfield Care Home offers residential dementia care and specialist dementia care through our innovative Reconnect communities. If you’re looking for a dementia-specialist care home with a highly-trained team in place, why not get in touch? Call 0161 653 5319 to speak to our friendly team!