Kew care home residents with dementia shown biographical films in South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust clinical trial

Regularly showing elderly care home residents biographical films may improve the quality of life for those living with dementia, a charity believes.My Life Films, an award-winning Richmond charity, is taking part in a clinical trial to test the impact the half-hour biographical films and short introductory profiles have on residents’ lives.

Elderly people in Cecil Court care home in Kew are regularly being shown their life stories – including their favourite memories, images from family albums, and interviews with the person and family members, all set to their favourite music.
Meanwhile, residents at Homemead care home in Teddington are serving as a control group in a trial run by South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust (SWLSG).
The trial runs until April 2017, with results expected to be published in the summer.Eighty per cent of UK care home residents have dementia or significant memory problems, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. Of those residents, just 41 per cent of their family members rated their quality of life as good, while more than a quarter described it as poor.
But the charity believe the films will help keep residents active and socially connected, and help carers to better connect with them and therefore provide better care.

Dr Robert Lawrence, head of the clinical research unit at SWLSG is leading the trial alongside Dr Jessica Lee, psychiatry specialty registrar at the Trust.He hypothesised that reminding residents of good memories would make them feel safer and more secure, and would help carers get to know them better.“The more you know about the person you are looking after, the better care you are going to take of that person,” he said.“It makes so much sense to patents. It makes so much sense to their families and their friends, and also to the people in care homes.”One woman at the home who was on Risperidone – a drug used to control challenging behaviour and agitation – was able to have her dosage lowered and eventually withdrawn, Dr Lee said.She said: “It’s almost like she’s transported to another world (when she is watching the films).Dr Lee added: “The feedback I got was that not only do they think it will benefit the relatives, but it will also benefit the grandchildren and the generations to come.“It’s almost like a gift to the future.”My Life Films was set up three years ago, and employs young filmmakers to get to know care home residents living with dementia and create a film based on their memories and life story.

 Last year it won both the charity start-up of the year from the Asian Voice Charity Awards an outstanding dementia care product of the year from the National Dementia Care Awards.Jorg Roth, founding trustee of My Life Films, is optimistic the Cecil Court trial will see the charity continue its success.Mr Roth said: “We obviously have to wait for the official results from the NHS trial in the summer, but from our point of view the reactions from residents, their families and the team at Cecil Court have been exceptional.“It is wonderful to see how the unique mix of personal archive material and music in the films reaches the residents living with dementia and how they improve their quality of life.”

SOURCE: Sutton Guardian, Craig Richard

x