Charity highlights lack of home support for people with dementia
Article by First_Response
The Alzheimer?s Society has reported that thousands of people with dementia are being put at risk and forced into care against their will because of substandard home care and support.
A survey by the charity, entitled ?Support, Stay, Save: Care and support of people with dementia in their own homes?, estimates that 50,000 people with dementia will be forced into residential care early and tens of thousands more will be admitted to hospital unnecessarily. These avoidable admissions into care cost the state millions of pounds every year.
The charity drew on feedback from carers, health and safety workers and patients to compile the report. They found that 50% of care workers felt that the individual with dementia was not receiving sufficient care or support. Many described patients becoming bedridden and malnourished. Over 50% of home care staff said that the lack of support had a negative impact on their own health, with many reporting that they felt under stress and at risk of depression.
An estimated 750,000 people in the UK have dementia, and around two-thirds of these receive support to enable them to live at home. However, only 10% of home care staff surveyed said that they believed that people living at home receive care that meets all their needs. This is despite the fact that the majority of carers indicated that they would welcome additional training and support to enable them to provide high quality dementia care.
The situation, which is predicted to worsen, is especially unfortunate since around 83% of care workers report that living at home is very important to the individual with dementia. Furthermore, for those who do receive good quality care and support, being able to remain at home has a positive impact on their symptoms.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society said: ?It is an absolute travesty that so many people with dementia are being forced to struggle without the care and support they need. The consequences of this represent an unacceptable human and financial cost.’
?[...]While staying at home is not right for everyone we know many people want to remain in the familiar surroundings they are used to with family or loved ones. Only with the right support will this be possible.?
First Response Training can deliver training especially for those who provide dementia care for individuals. They offer Dementia Awareness and Managing Challenging Behaviours in Dementia training and have recently developed further courses such as Assessment of Pain in Dementia.
Anthony Griffin is a Training Officer at First Response. He says that he enjoys teaching Dementia courses because, ?the delegates taking part always demonstrate a keen interest in the subject.?
Anthony explains: ?By promoting independence and dignity, we provide helpful and interesting explanations for delegates. As the course draws to a close we suggest several support organisations who can be contacted for further advice on caring for an individual with Dementia, including the Alzheimer?s Society for Dementia Care and Research.?
For more information on of First Response?s dementia care training courses, please call 0800 310 2300 today.
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