Launch of pioneering dementia care pilot projects
25 Jul 2013 03:52 PM
Over a hundred hospitals and care homes across England have been awarded a share of a £50million fund to create pioneering care environments designed with the needs of people with dementia in mind.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt recently announced details of the 116 successful projects as part of a visit to the award winning dementia ward at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ were selected to receive £955,490 to fund their project ‘Designing the Dementia Journey’ – a holistic approach to the environment for people with dementia, which will support the hospital’s existing care provision for dementia patients.
The older person’s unit features a specially designed ward environment, with colour-coded bays and symbols to help patients remember their way back to their bed. Patients with dementia are given blue wristbands so staff can easily identify them, and are served food on red meal trays so that staff know these patients need extra help with eating and drinking. The funding will enable these successful initiatives to be rolled out to other high priority wards across the Trust. Jeremy Hunt spoke of the importance of placing the needs of dementia patients first when designing new care environments.
The Health Secretary said:
There is little doubt that our home and work environment has an important impact upon our day to day lives – and our care environment is no exception.
We can encounter any number of places and spaces in one day, and yet for someone with advanced dementia even walking from one room to another can be difficult. This pilot scheme will form an important first step towards driving forward better care environments for people with dementia.
Funding was awarded to projects that demonstrate how practical changes to the environment within which people with dementia are treated in will make a tangible improvement to their condition.
The projects will form part of the first national pilot to showcase the best examples of dementia friendly environments across England, to build evidence around the type of physical changes that have the most benefit for dementia patients.
Cluttered ward layouts and poor signage in hospitals and care homes were cited as the top reasons for causing confusion and distress in people with dementia in research conducted by The King’s Fund.
Replacing reflective sanitaryware and surfaces, and installing clearer signage using distinctive colours and pictures, has been shown to help dementia patients manage their condition better by helping to reduce confusion and agitation.
Jeremy Hughes, Alzheimer’s Society Chief Executive said:
The effect an unfamiliar hospital or care home environment has on the wellbeing of a person with dementia is often underestimated. Changes to a person’s surroundings can leave people with dementia feeling confused, anxious or agitated and can drastically affect their quality of life.
Moving into a care home or spending time in hospital can be a difficult transition, and often the buildings and grounds are not layed out in a way that supports staff to deliver good quality care.
Investment in pioneering projects that will create dementia-friendly environments within these care settings will play a vital part in helping to improve the care hospitals or care homes are able to provide.
Background
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A total of 116 projects have been granted funding; 42 projects within the NHS (including hospital wards) and 74 within a local authority setting (including care homes). The call for submissions was initially launched in October 2012.
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A full list of projects by region is available to download here