Our vision is for a more active and fulfilled life for all people living with dementia.
Research shows that connection to nature and outdoor activity is good for everyone, but for people with dementia, it has significant wellbeing benefits.
As the only charity solely to focus on dementia and nature, we are a sector leader in working with organisations like yours. We can work with you to create inclusive services, so that people with dementia can engage more with nature and have regular outdoor experiences.
We have a great track record having worked with over 17,000 professionals, providing tailored training packages for a whole variety of organisations which include, Medical and Care professionals, Green and Blue space providers, Local Authorities and Charities.
Through our training, staff are also able to experience the benefits of the outdoors and nature for themselves.
Care Homes / Live at Home Schemes and Medical Professionals
Organisations tell us that supporting people with dementia to get outdoors can help to ease agitation and anxiety, improve sleep, eating patterns, mood and communication which can have a positive effect on the person but also on the staff supporting them.
Our work with care homes and live at home schemes often involves training staff, volunteers and residents’ families so they can work together to enable people with dementia to get regular access to the benefits of nature and the outdoors.
Blue and Green spaces
People with dementia and their families tell us they struggle to find places to visit that provide lovely nature experiences that are also accessible.
Our work with Blue and Green space providers considers the importance of accessibility and opportunities to open up to a much bigger market, not only for people living with dementia and their carers (There are 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and over 700,000 people caring for them at home), but others too. When you get it right for people with dementia, you get it right for so many others.
We can offer you a range of support from site audits to help you become dementia inclusive, to training your volunteers, upskilling your teams, and supporting you to work with carers in simple and effective ways.
Our training
We root our training in the latest research and the voices of people living with dementia and those who support them. We focus on what is possible with the right support.
In the same way that we see each person with dementia as an individual, and not a diagnosis, we see every organisation as unique. We don’t believe in ‘one size fits all’. Our promise is to listen first, and then work with you to identify opportunities and solutions specific to your organisation. This is based on some of our core training competencies, which include:
- Understanding dementia better
- The health and wellbeing benefits of nature
- Making the most of your environment
- Issues that might arise outdoors and how to deal with them
- Different ways of connecting with nature
- How to co-design services with people living with dementia
- The impact of dementia on mental health
- How to make your environment dementia inclusive
- Positive risk-taking
Benefits of our training
- Increases confidence in staff
- Improves work environment and job satisfaction
- Increases trust between family and staff
- Increases person centred support
Post training support
In addition to our training, we will give you comprehensive resource packs and tool kits. As with the training, these can be adapted to your needs and used as practical guides to implement your learning and upskill team members.
Depending on the project, we can offer you on-going support, follow up training and regular check-ins too.
To find out more about our training and how we may be able to help you, get in touch to book your free 30 minute telephone consultation.
This was a very empowering training - passionate, revealing and realistic.
I will consider using the outdoors much more in my work, something I was planning, but feel I have more confidence in the application”
“High quality, professional, informative and developmental”
How we can help financially
Why Choose Dementia Adventure?
Unlike other providers, we’re able to use our practical experience of delivering activities directly to inform our training.
During our supported holidays, we live with people who have dementia and their family members for 24 hours a day. This gives us a unique opportunity to listen and learn about the challenges that people face. Their voices shape all of our training, leading to practical positive solutions and ‘real world’ guidance for you and your organisation.
Whether you’re looking to upskill those who already support people living with dementia, create inclusive and accessible services across your organisation or set up a nature-based program specifically for people with dementia, we can help you to:
- Understand how dementia can affect the senses.
- Facilitate sensory rich experiences.
- Understand the health and wellbeing benefits of nature.
- Make the most of your setting.
- Learn how to engage with nature indoors.
- Learn how to engage and enable people with small, simple steps.
- Discover what matters most to people.
- Understand what makes a dementia inclusive location.
- Understand why calculated risk is important.
- Upskill volunteers.
Meet our experts
Our training team are experts in their field with years of experience working with people with dementia and in learning and development roles.
Deborah Anderson BSc
Head of Training, Research and Consultancy
I joined DA in 2015 following an extensive period directly supporting people with dementia and their carers in the West Essex area with the Alzheimer’s Society as a dementia support manager and as the manager of a day centre in Hertfordshire.
With a degree in Health and Social Welfare, I have continued to build a wealth of practical knowledge and have benefited personally from the people that I have met along the way.
My love of being outdoors and passion for sharing the positive benefits of contact with nature now feed into my professional goals.
I support the team at Dementia Adventure to develop and deliver multidisciplinary, bespoke dementia training and consultancy services across a variety of sectors. Focusing on what is possible, hearing the voices of lived experience and seeking solutions and strategies for living the best life, whilst living with dementia.
Gordon Malcolm
Programme Leader, Training Research and Consultancy
I am an Education Graduate, with more than thirty years’ experience of helping others to learn and grow. I am passionate about being outdoors and recognise the benefits of being outside in nature. As an experienced training facilitator, I am always keen to develop training programmes that excite and stimulate people to gain new knowledge and most importantly learn useful, practical skills that they can apply to their life or work.
I have always believed that participation in creative and innovative training makes it much more likely for any new learning to stick and now, as always, strive to ensure the training I deliver is not only thought-provoking and engaging but also gives plenty of opportunities for reflection and discussion.
I have worked with a variety of organisations to offer bespoke training packages with strategically planned projects that address the specific needs of their audiences and ensure seamless and efficient advertising, booking and evaluation.
Delivering worthwhile training, which makes a big difference, always remains at the heart of my work.
Ruth Thompson
Programme Leader, Training Research and Consultancy
I run the family and friends training sessions and lead on some of the DA holidays.
I do this so I can empower carers to feel confident in what they are doing and gain an understanding of what the person they are supporting may be feeling. The holidays allow me to enable carers and people living with dementia to experience the well-being benefits of getting away, which they may have thought was no longer possible.
I have around 20 years’ experience of delivering support and advice to families who are supporting a family member living with a disability. I believe that ‘knowledge is power’, carers are doing such an amazing job, I can help them to see what is possible and together enable people living with dementia to have a more active and fulfilled life.
A super trainer, who provided clear, highly informative and interesting information and many further knowledge and organisational contact resources.
Some organisations we have supported
Some of our work
Bradgate Park is a very popular public park close to the city of Leicester in the East Midlands. It covers 850 acres and has special protection status for its ancient trees, geology and wildlife.
Vicky Peet leads Froglife’s Leaping Forward for Dementia project, supported by the City Bridge Trust. The project empowers people living with dementia to access the benefits of nature and the outdoors.
We worked with Methodist Homes Association (MHA) to develop a tailored programme of training to enable their staff to support people living with dementia and families. MHA is a charity with over 75 years’ experience of delivering care and support for older people across the UK.
In 2021 The Caversham Golf Club in Reading chose Dementia Adventure as their Captain’s charity of the year, successfully raising £10,000. The partnership with The Caversham Golf Club was about more than just money. We wanted to leave a legacy of support for people living with dementia in the Reading area.
Managing Risk and Nature Experiences Training
In response to demand, we are pleased to offer you the chance to attend our affordable Managing Risk and Nature Experiences training.
Many organisations already understand that connection to nature brings significant wellbeing benefits for people living with dementia, but they may not have the knowledge or confidence to create inclusive and enjoyable experiences for people with the condition.
Our Managing Risk and Nature Experiences training is for professionals and volunteers interested in creating inclusive outdoor or nature-based experiences for people living with dementia.
Next steps
To find out more about our training and how we may be able to help you, get in touch to book your free 30 minute telephone consultation.
