Person-centred
activities combined with just one hour a week of social interaction can improve
quality of life and reduce agitation for people with dementia living in care
homes, while saving money.
These are
the findings from a large-scale trial led by the University of Exeter, King's
College London and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. These results were
presented today (July 16) at the Alzheimer's Association International
Conference 2017 (AAIC). The research was funded by the National Institute for Health
Research (NIHR).
The trial
involved more than 800 people with dementia across
69 care homes in South London, North London and Buckinghamshire. Two 'care
staff champions' at each home were trained over four day-long sessions, to take
simple measures that such as involve talking to residents about their interests
and decisions around their own care. When combined with just one hour a week of
social interaction, it improved quality of life and reduced agitation.
Importantly,
the approach also saved money compared to standard care. Researchers say the
next key challenge is to roll the programme to the 28,000 care homes in the UK
to benefit the lives of the 300,000 people with dementia living in these
facilities.
Professor
Clive Ballard, of the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the
research, said: "People with dementia who are living in care homes are
among the most vulnerable in our society. Incredibly, of 170 carer training
manuals available on the market, only four are based on evidence that they
really work. Our outcomes show that good staff training and just one hour a
week of social interaction significantly improves quality of life for a group
of people who can often be forgotten by society."
Dr Jane
Fossey from the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Taking a
person-centred approach is about really getting to know the resident as an
individual—knowing their interests and talking with them while you provide all
aspects of care. It can make a massive difference to the person themselves and
their carers. We've shown that this approach significantly improves lives,
reduces agitation and actually saves money too. This training must now be
rolled out nationwide so other people can benefit."
Doug
Brown, Director of Research for Alzheimer's Society, said:
"70%
of people living in care homes have dementia, so it is vital that staff have
the right training to provide good quality dementia care.
"We
know that a person-centred approach that takes each individual's unique
qualities, abilities, interests, preferences and needs into account can improve
care. This study shows that training to provide this type of individualised
care, along with activities and social interactions, has a significant impact
on the well-being of people living with dementia in care homes. It also shows
that effective care can reduce costs, which the stretched social care system
desperately needs.
"Alzheimer's
Society is committed to improving dementia care through research. We want to
see interventions like this put into practice, and will continue to fund
further research to improve the quality of life for people with dementia in
their own homes, care homes and hospitals. But investment in research alone
cannot rescue the broken system. The government must use the consultation on
social care reform to deliver a long-term solution that addresses the desperate
funding crisis in our current system and shares the cost of care across
society."
The
results are the findings of the Improving Wellbeing and Health for People with
Dementia (WHELD) trial, the largest non-pharmacological randomised control
trial in people with dementia living in care homes to date.
SOURCE:
Medical Xpress, University of Exeter
Social interaction and communication... seems that this approach should be everyday and common place rather than a task. When did we stop talking to each other? Asking how our day is going or even just a friendly hello isnt a lot to ask and is often the starting point for something much more meaningful.
No comments:
Post a Comment