Dementia Care Team
A quarter of patients in our hospitals live with dementia or some form of confusion. We are working to ensure that these people and carers receive the individualised and sensitive care that is appropriate to their needs, and that they therefore stay in hospital for as short a time as possible.
SaTH is now signed up to the Dementia-Friendly Hospital Charter. The charter provides guidance for staff, volunteers and board members to provide better outcomes in hospitals for people living with dementia and their carers. The Charter takes into account the Well Pathway, latest NICE guidance and the NDAA’s updated Dementia Statements.
Being in hospital can be a frightening and disorientating experience for a person living with dementia. It’s vital NHS staff have the knowledge and awareness of the condition to ensure people with dementia consistently receive high quality care. The Dementia-Friendly Hospitals Charter is an important initiative to improve the care patients with dementia receive and ensure carers and families are involved every step of the way.
Support for the charter also came from Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia and Mental Health in Older People, NHS England who said:
“NHS England fully supports the principles of the dementia friendly hospitals charter. There are excellent examples of great care for people with dementia when they are admitted to hospital, it’s important that everyone is aware of these examples of best practice, so we can ensure we are providing the best care”
Key Info
Interested in working with us?
For more information about vacancies in the Trust please visit our Belong to Something website.
Useful Links
Dementia Advice During the Coronavirus Outbreak
Coming out of lockdown – coping with noise sensitivity
What is dementia
Alzheimer’s Virtual Reality
Charity/Fundraising
DEEP – A guide to using language about dementia
Delirium Awareness – Youtube Video
How to Look After Your Mental Health in Later Life
Some of things we are working on
The work of the Dementia Support Workers includes promotion and use of the Butterfly Scheme. This scheme helps us to identify people with dementia and/or confusion by using a Butterfly (solid for a diagnosis of dementia and an outline of a butterfly for those patients with confusion).
These stickers are placed on the headboards, the “patient status at a glance” board on the wards/notes/wristbands, and on investigation requests, such as to X-ray. Patients choose whether to opt into this scheme and there is information available on each ward for all patients and carers’.
Our staff, across both hospitals, work to improve the
experience of people living with dementia, their carers’ experience, and their friends and families as well, by using the REACH approach. For more information about this, please contact the services Clinical Specialist through the contact details in the “key info” box.
Carers are encouraged to visit and stay with patients living with dementia in order to provide reassurance, support, and help with eating and drinking and other day to day activities. Staff can provide you with a Carer Passport which you can show to any hospital staff if asked.
Please see our Dementia Friendly Hospital Charter below for all areas, as part of our work to become a Dementia Friendly Trust.
We are part of the Dementia Action Alliance and sign up to this as part of our pledge.
UK with some form of hearing loss.
More than 70% of over 70 year-olds and 40% of over 50 year-olds have some form of hearing loss. If a person also has dementia, a sensory impairment compounds communication difficulties. People with a hearing loss have a greater risk of developing dementia and depression. 35% of patients with a hearing loss have experienced difficulty communicating with their carer, Doctor or Nurse.
We have shared the pink hearing aid boxes with all wards and departments to keep hearing aids safe.
People living with dementia can experience problems with the daily routine and this includes eating & drinking. Sometimes people are unable to communicate or recognise that they are thirsty which means they often forget to take a drink. This can lead to headaches, increased confusion, urinary tract infections and constipation, all of which can make the symptoms of dementia worse.
On the flip side, dehydration can create symptoms similar to dementia – an experience which can be confusing for both the person and carer when simply rehydrating them back to good health may be all that is required!
Drinking a sufficient amount of water along with a healthy balanced diet is a core part of managing the condition and is essential to support the physical and mental well-being of dementia sufferers. An older person is recommended to have 2-3 pints of water a day (that’s around 6 tea cups!)
How can a cup like Droplet® help?
Droplet® identifies when the user has not drunk for some time and uses subtle flashing lights and recorded audio messages to remind the person to take a drink. Entirely customisable, it is designed inthe familiar shape of the mugs and cups we use at home, making it recognisable for dementia sufferers and more enjoyable to drink from than the ‘baby beaker’ style cups often used in care homes and hospitals.
Familiar objects, routines & sounds form an important part of dementia care. With this in mind, the Droplet® reminder base has been designed to allow loved ones and carers to record positive messages that gently encourage the user to drink. As well as benefitting the user, it also alerts the carer so they can monitor hydration levels and patterns in patients whilst spotting the signs of potential dehydration early on.
John’s Campaign is a campaign towards the right to stay with people with dementia in hospital. For more information please see our John’s Campain leaflet or visit the John’s Campaign Website. We have recently won a certificate for our work towards the campaign!
The About Me Passport is for people living with dementia and is completed by staff / carers or the Dementia team, then placed on lockers in a perspect stand to tell staff about their needs, preferences, likes, dislikes and interests. This enables us to understand the person as an individual and to deliver person-centred or individualised care that is tailored specifically to the person’s needs when admitted to hospital. Knowing a person’s favourite drink, or that they used to be a postman, for example, helps our staff understand how to communicate and ensures that the person is as calm as possible.