Specialised dementia care is still largely underrepresented in South Africa, with Livewell being one of the very few dedicated facilities leading the way. Most families, who make the decision of moving a loved one into a facility, are not aware of the huge disparity between the different types of care options available for their loved ones. Not all care facilities are created equal; a retirement village, nursing home or frail care facility versus a dedicated dementia care facility have completely different approaches to treatment and care, and it is becoming increasingly important to educate on the need for the latter. Providing prestige properties with powerful multidisciplinary teams has been perceived as our biggest strength for many years. However what we desire to excel in and put a deeper focus on is where our efforts are most deeply felt, and that is through our highly-trained and skilled dementia care staff. Our exceptional staff are at the forefront of our care and now the face of our rebrand, as our ambassadors and most valuable assets.
“The new Livewell brand represents the birth of our new operating level as we strive to add value and touch the lives within our reach. Whilst we continue to offer our residents a luxurious surrounding in our immaculate estates, we want families to understand the importance of having trained and skilled dementia carers looking after their loved ones” says Tanya Lombard, Managing Director at Livewell.
There are almost 10 million new cases of dementia every year around the world, couple this with a generation that is projected to live longer than any other before and we have a dire need to provide essential care tailored to cognitive disease treatment. Our treatment of dementia involves a holistic approach, which includes tailored activities, a customised diet, medication management, a specially designed physical environment, and access to an expert team of neuropsychologists, occupational therapists, doctors, and individual dementia carers. We are honoured to be able to offer this at Livewell. Every staff member and every department play a fundamental role in what makes our offering unique and so well-suited to dementia care – from our talented gardener to our incredible healthcare team!
Rebrand highlights the pivotal role staff play in ongoing dementia treatment
Our new website will continue to share the valuable information you have come to expect, as well as our weekly blog, with our aim being to make our website your one-stop dementia care resource platform for accurate information and wonderful ideas on how to care for your loved one with dementia. New staff stories and films featured on the rebranded website offer a glimpse into the different personalities we have at Livewell and reflect the like-mindedness and like-heartedness of the people we have on our team, their passion for caring and the special bonds they form with the residents are absolutely evident.
We have selected new brand colours to represent our different in-house departments, varying from navy blue to frosted tulip to evoke pleasant new experiences and feel-good emotions for our residents. The revamped colour palette enhances the ‘fun factor’ that we strive to always bring to our personalised care, as we do not believe in a ‘black and white’ protocol but rather a multi-disciplinary approach.
Staff and resident relationship at the core of our rebrand
It is due to our exceptional team and their daily contributions to the lives of our residents that we have embarked on this rebrand, hoping to bring stories like this one from Care Worker Vongani Salphinah Chauke into the forefront:
“In my 5 years here I have learned a lot. My last resident was not a speaking man. He wouldn’t talk much, but he spoke to me through his eyes. He loved me. I remember his last day: I could see he was going. He looked at me and he gave me a “laugh” that I had never seen before. He looked at me as if he was saying something good. I asked him, “Papa, is your time gone?” and he laughed. I put him in his wheelchair and he grabbed my hand and he hugged me for a long time, and I said “It’s fine papa, It’s fine, if it’s your time now, you can go. May God bless you where you are going and may your soul rest in peace.” And he looked at me and laughed and then he left me.”
We hope that our website will have the dual effect of being a gateway that attracts passionate dementia trained carers that connect with our brand or who would like to seek the opportunity to become part of our excellent team. Listen to their stories and understand what caring means to them by watching our brand film below: