Fife nurse scoops national award for dementia work

Yvonne Manson, dementia nurse consultant with Perth-based care home group Balhousie Care Group, won the leadership category in the RCNi Nurse Awards which celebrate excellence in nursing care throughout the country.

Yvonne heads up a host of dementia initiatives throughout the group’s 25 care homes in Scotland.

With a focus on collaboration between staff and residents, these initiatives have included memory boxes, themed interior decor, multi-sensory therapy and virtual reality headsets and they all encourage reminiscence as well as family time and personal space. She also leads the company’s dementia ambassador programme, which sees at least two staff members in every care home act as active ambassadors for dementia practices meeting regularly to share ideas and learn new techniques.

Yvonne said: “It was overwhelming when I was announced as the winner of the award and such a fantastic evening in London at Westminster plaza with several inspiring nurse stories.

“I started working in care homes at the age of 19 and said then I wanted to make a difference in dementia care and to have won this award for my work in dementia care is a career high and one I shall treasure.

“But nobody ever achieves these things alone and I have been lucky to have worked with some of the best over the last 23 years and truly love my job as dementia nurse consultant at Balhousie Care group.”