WITH the rising number of dementia cases, a Malvern home care company is looking to increase its team.

Right at Home, which is based in Avenue Road, Great Malvern, has been working closely with the Department of Mental Health and is setting its sights on becoming a "dementia champion".

Richard Turner, managing director of Right at Home (Malvern and Cheltenham), said: "Our team induction includes dementia awareness and we also provide online tuition units. Sixty per cent the current team have a further level two dementia qualification, with our registered manager holding a higher level dementia qualification, so our practical experience of supporting people with the condition and living at home, is high.

"Dementia is often perceived as memory loss, but it can also affect the way people think, speak, feel and behave, even if they are still leading an active, healthy life with hobbies, friendships and relationships. Difficulties in communicating, physical co-ordination and concentration can lead to loss of confidence, so home care needs to match those specific needs.

"For the first time in history there are 11 million people, aged 65 or over, in the UK, and this is likely to rise to 20 million by the year 2030. The Care Quality Commission tells us that more people want to stay in familiar surroundings for as long as possible, and our job is to help them maintain their independence. I cannot stress enough how important it is to put in place the right carer for someone with dementia. At the moment all home care providers are struggling to recruit and retain good quality carers. Home care is the future, but only if we can match carer supply to the increase in demand."