How Dementia Champion John Langan is making a difference at The Manor Care Home

Person Centred Software’s Champions of Care Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the crucial achievements made by those working in the care sector to bring happiness and better care outcomes to the most vulnerable members of our society. Often working behind the scenes, these awards are dedicated to showcasing the champions of care who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people living in care.   

Today, we’re sharing the story of Making a Difference winner John Langan, who has been recognised by Manor Care Home for his unparalleled dedication and passion to the care of his residents. 

John’s path into the care industry wasn’t a straightforward one. John worked in retail while he pursued a degree in archaeology while in Ireland but decided to move into healthcare on the recommendation of his partner due to a lack of opportunities in archaeology in Ireland at the time.

After enrolling in a pre-registration nursing course, John worked in a small, family-run care home, and immediately he was able to see that he’d found his true calling.  

“It took me a couple of weeks to adjust to the new environment and being in a brand-new role, but I loved it,” John said when we spoke to him. “It showed me what a rewarding career care can be, and it put me on the path to where I am now. As the years have gone by, I’ve become more ambitious. I love caring for people, but I do think that I can help more people by progressing further and taking that next step.” 

As a result of John’s desire to gain the knowledge and experience to help as many people as he can, he is now the senior carer for The Manor. In working at The Manor, John has excelled in the care of those with dementia, becoming the care home’s Dementia Champion, as he explains: “I always ensure that we are using the most up-to-date dementia practices because it’s important that when working with people with dementia, they must always be treated with respect and dignity.” 

But John’s ambition to improve the quality of life of those with dementia doesn’t stop there, as he explained: “There’s always room for improvement; every year there are new innovations that when put into practice could really benefit people with dementia in terms of stimulation, their environment and ensuring that the care home is a real home to them.” 

John has spearheaded some of these innovations within the home, introducing features such as reorganising the layout of the care home’s lounges so that half is a sitting area and half is an area where residents can participate in activities such as puzzles, drawing, playing the piano and playing cards with other residents as well as members of staff. Not only this, but John has also created a cafe area in which residents have a quiet place to sit and enjoy a cup of tea, listen to music and enjoy garden views. These steps, along with building a sensory room for residents, have led to a dramatic decrease in distressed behaviours. 

John’s compassion and dedication to providing the best care outcomes also extends to the family of those living with dementia, as he explains: “In many ways, because dementia is a terminal illness, palliative care often runs alongside their existing lifestyle. So, a person’s life, their memories and their experiences have to be documented so that families, who might not get to visit as often as they’d like, can see that in the final years or perhaps even months of their relative’s life, they were really happy in their own world.” 

John has done this by introducing the Remembrance Photo Album, which is given to the family of a resident who has recently passed away so they can be reassured that every day that their loved one spent at the care home was filled with joy. John said: “We try to include as many pictures as possible as well as personal thoughts and feelings from the resident and from the staff. 

“We do this because we want the family to see that when their loved one was at the care home, they still lived a full and meaningful life and were treated with dignity and respect.” 

Of the many initiatives that John has introduced, the ones he is proudest of are the activity area in the lounges and the sensory room. “One of the biggest differences we saw was when we introduced the piano to the lounge, which was kindly donated by one of the staff because she knew that one of our ladies loved playing the piano. She had pictures in her room in which she was playing the piano, so we introduced it to her as an activity so that she could play in her own time. The piano has become a big engagement point for us and everyone loves it. It’s the little, person-centred things like that which make the biggest difference.” 

For John, these kinds of differences are what makes a care home environment so invaluable for older people. “Sometimes for families it will get to a stage where they aren’t able to care for their loved ones in the way that is needed to provide the best levels of wellbeing. They might feel a sense of guilt because they feel they are passing over that responsibility to us, but we always strive to assure families that if they bring their loved one to The Manor, they will still be treated with the same love and respect that they deserve. We have the numbers of staff and the resources to care for older people with more complex needs, and we want families to see that they don’t have to worry about their loved one’s wellbeing, because we can be there to provide what is needed every hour of every day and night.” 

It’s clear to see that John has an unwavering commitment to providing the very best possible outcomes for the people he cares for at The Manor, and through his creativity and dedication to going above and beyond, he is a deserving winner of the Making a Difference award!