Staff at Comfort Bay Senior Citizens’ Home are gaining practical skills to safely manage challenging situations and respond effectively to residents while maintaining a compassionate, respectful and supportive care environment.

The initiative forms part of a six-week de-escalation training programme designed to equip staff with practical techniques for managing tense or potentially confrontational situations, including strategies for effective communication, maintaining composure and responding appropriately to challenging behaviours.

Administrator of Comfort Bay, Nurse Alisha Prince, says the training is particularly important given the nature of the institution’s work and the needs of the elderly residents.

“The training will be very beneficial to the staff in that they will develop the discipline to calm down an aggressive patient, to sooth them and also to simply be able to calm the environment to make it more friendly. At Comfort Bay, we deal with the elderly and this is definitely much needed,” noted Nurse Prince.

Sixteen staff members have been identified to participate in the programme, with the first cohort comprising ten employees drawn from various areas of the institution, including the security unit.

For staff who work directly with residents, the ability to recognize and appropriately respond to challenging situations is critical. Maclean Emmanuel, a longstanding Correctional Officer who contributed to the training, highlighted the importance of combining practical self-defence techniques with patience, respect and effective communication.

“Physically its hand on training. They learn how to break away from different grabs. how to defend themselves from different attacks and how to speak with respect and deal with different residents. One thing they need for sure is patience, as dealing with mentally challenged individuals requires a lot of patience and you have to be courteous,” Emmanuel exclaimed. 

The importance of remaining calm and applying the skills learned during the training was also underscored by Nurse Loni McDonald of Comfort Bay, who described the experience as valuable both professionally and personally. “We learnt how to remain calm in tense and very challenging situations, as a team player, this is very useful. We also learnt how to work with the residents of the home. In fact, this is a life saving experience, one that helps you be defensive, knowing how to calm someone, who is violent, for want of a better word and really helps you to put on the practical aspect of the course that you have learnt.”

The training is intended not only to strengthen staff preparedness but also to contribute to a safer and more responsive environment for both residents and employees. Officials say the programme forms part of Comfort Bay’s broader commitment to delivering quality care that addresses the emotional, physical, educational and holistic needs of its residents.