A GRIEVING son has praised compassionate care home staff for treating his mother with dignity – and commended the standards of Bury compared to other boroughs.

Stan Richards’ mother May died on October 7 at the age of 91 after being diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2011.

Mr Richards, of Arthur Lane, Ainsworth, and his wife Judith, made the decision for Mrs Richards to be placed in a home after social workers decided she needed 24-hour care.

The mother-of-one spent the last 15 months of her life at Abbeywood Residential Care Home in Market Street, Tottington.

An estimated 2,000 people in the borough currently suffer from dementia and this is set to rise to 3,400, 11 per cent of the population, by 2030.

One of the priorities of Bury’s health and wellbeing strategy is to support older people to be safe and well and Bury Council currently promotes dementia-friendly cafes and communities.

Mr Richards first looked at care homes in Oldham and Rochdale for his mother, who was from Middleton, but he said the options available were “appalling”.

The 68-year-old retired managing director said: “To anyone struggling to find the right home for an elderly resident I want to say to them don’t despair – there is good care.

“In Oldham, Rochdale and Bolton there did not seem to be the quality care available and visiting numerous homes left us feeling depressed and concerned about what was available for the many elderly people suffering from dementia.

“But when we found Abbeywood, we knew it was first class. The quality of service there is absolutely second to none.

“The right places are out there. You might have to fight a little bit to find them but you will get there. Bury as a whole seems to have its finger on the pulse.”

Mrs Richards had two granddaughters and four great-grandchildren. She worked all her life until retirement, and enjoyed dancing in Manchester in her youth.

Mr Richards said: “Throughout my mother’s stay at Abbeywood, she was shown the utmost respect , kindness and care by all members of staff. It was above and beyond what we expected."

Cllr Rishi Shori, deputy leader of Bury Council said: "In Bury we are working hard with our NHS partners to ensure that sufferers are diagnosed as early as possible; that we shorten the amount of time they spend in hospital so that they can be looked after in their own homes, and that if they do go into a residential care home that they receive the best quality of care possible.”