It was with great excitement that Dementia Care Australia recently met with our very first Spark of Life Facility Member, Barbara Falconer from Malio House in New Zealand.
Barbara met with Jane Verity and the DCA team in Melbourne to personally receive the facility membership certificate and discuss Malio House’s enthusiasm for the Spark of Life Approach. ‘The Spark of Life is just what we need,’ she said.
Malio House is a small 23-bed secure dementia unit based in the picturesque rural town of Mata Mata on the north island of New Zealand. Barbara and her staff are truly dedicated to providing a nurturing environment for their residents. They are enthusiastic about providing a wide variety of activities for residents including community events and caring for a beautiful enclosed garden in the old hospital grounds.
Barbara discovered the Spark of Life when looking for resources to run an activities program in the region that emotionally and socially supports people with dementia. She believes in fitting daily tasks around the residents, not the other way around and is always pro-actively looking for innovative approaches to dementia care. Barbara is thrilled to have a Spark of Life Membership to support her staff and facility.
Malio House is a great example of a dynamic and supportive facility and DCA is very excited to accept them into our membership program. Congratulations to Barbara and her team. We look forward to helping you grow a Spark of Life Culture throughout dementia care in New Zealand.
To hear how Malio House adopted the Spark of Life Approach to make their Valentines Day a success, click here.