An inspirational carer is using the magic of music to help ensure people with dementia are treated with respect and dignity.
Sheryl Beebee from Aberdare is the regional dementia practitioner for Hallmark Care Homes, and her work is producing a “simply incredible” impact, her colleagues have said.
She supports care homes across Wales to improve their dementia care through advice, training, coaching and hands-on support.
Her work has seen her nominated for a prize in this year’s Wales Care Awards.
Sheryl is in the running for an award in the Excellence in Dementia Care category, sponsored by SilverCrest Care.
The glittering ceremony will be taking place on Friday, October 18, at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff and it will be hosted by radio and TV presenter Jason Mohammad.
The awards, dubbed Oscars of social care, are organised by Care Forum Wales, and the overall sponsor is Ontex Healthcare.
Sheryl was nominated for the award by Bethan Hurley, customer relationship manager at Hallmark Care Homes.
Bethan said: “Sheryl has over 20 years’ experience in social care, specialising in managing dementia care services and developing teams to deliver excellent and innovative care for people living with dementia.
“She began her social care career in the Isle of Wight. She then progressed to care home manager and head of dementia care.“Sheryl’s passion is to help people living with dementia in any way she can. She is always expanding her skills and learning to enable new projects and methods to be introduced to care and to residents’ lives.
“During her time with Somerset Care, Sheryl was influential in the Dignity Action Day and introduction of the Dignity Tree.
“The idea of the tree was that residents and loved ones could write on a leaf what their dignity means to them and attach it to the tree. It helped to raise awareness of dignity to not only residents and the team, but families and visitors too. She accompanied this with a Dignity Tree poem which is now used nationwide in care homes as a learning resource. Sheryl has also written the ‘I think you may forget me’ poem which was shared by Dementia UK in 2021.”
Bethan said another example of the exceptional work Sheryl carries out is her involvement in the Playlist for Life project.
Playlist for Life is a charitable scheme that promotes the benefits of using music in dementia care.
Bethan said: “The impact this has had on residents living with dementia has been simply incredible.
“We have some non-verbal residents living with us. We created a playlist for one resident and instantly she smiled, started to dance and mouthed the words to the songs.
“Her face lit up, you could see her thinking of the memories the songs produced. It brought a tear to the eyes of those who were with her.
“The playlists are such a fantastic tool to go through the years and decades of memories. I think the biggest compliment of this project was a family choosing to use their loved one’s playlist at their funeral and it perfectly summarised the life and memories they all had.
“Sheryl’s focus is to ensure that every resident has the best quality of life they can. Her methods and skills help to improve moods, reduce anxiety, recall memories, and improve communication in many different ways.
“Her understanding of what an individual needs or wants, really is something to be seen. The warmth she shows and is shown in return is so wonderful to see.
“During her time with Hallmark, Sheryl has had some incredible successes. One in particular was the implementation and accreditation of the Playlist for Life project at Ty Enfys and Shire Hall care homes.
“Sheryl successfully sought funding through Cardiff Council, gained the trainer qualification and then successful trained and implemented this in the two homes.
“This all culminated in the accreditation of both homes.”
Sheryl, 44, said she was grateful for the nomination and said she was also grateful to have a role where she was able to support people and make a positive difference to their care.
She said the Playlist for Life concept produced remarkable results, helping to ease anxiety and reduce distress for residents with dementia.
Sheryl said: “Music has a power and an emotional connection. There is such a variety of songs, and it all depends on what resonates with you as a person. The Playlist for Life scheme is about finding meaningful music which means something special or significant to the resident.
“The use of the scheme is really making a difference, music does that. And we also use sound notes too – a voice or a message from a loved one offering reassurance. We can’t change the way someone behaves, but we can change the way they feel, and that can lead to them changing how they behave.”
Sheryl said music can be used in a variety of different ways in care homes. She said one way was to have a familiar song playing when a new resident came into the home for the first time. That helps reduce anxiety and worry as the residents enters the new surroundings.
Sheryl added: “Being nominated for the award is wonderful, though what I am doing is what I would expect to be doing in the role because I am extremely passionate about dementia care. I am extremely passionate about improving our practice and it’s wonderful that I can share my expertise and knowledge.”
Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “Our aim is to recognise the unstinting and often remarkable dedication of our unsung heroes and heroines on the front line of social across Wales. The care sector is full of wonderful people because it’s not just a job it’s a vocation – these are the people who really do have the X Factor.
If you don’t recognise the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need the care in society.
We need to do all we can to raise the profile of the care sector workforce – they deserve to be lauded and applauded. It is a pleasure to honour the contribution of all the finalists. Each and every one of them should be very proud of their achievement.”
