Dementia project pays out £50 million
pharmafile | July 26, 2013 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | Jeremy Hunt, dementia
Over a hundred hospitals and care homes across England have been awarded a share of a £50million fund to help those with dementia.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced details of the 116 successful projects as part of a visit to the dementia ward at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust.
It was selected to receive £955,490 to fund their project ‘Designing the Dementia Journey’ – an all-inclusive 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 carers know these patients need extra help with eating and drinking.
The funding will enable these and other initiatives to be rolled out to other high priority wards across the Trust.
This all forms part of the UK Government’s Dementia Challenge, which aims to help fund more research and create better car into the disease which affects around 700,000 in the UK.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt 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.
“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.”
Research conducted by The King’s Fund found that 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.
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.
“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.”
A full list of projects by region is available to download here.
Ben Adams
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