Dementia care

Citation

(2009), "Dementia care", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 39 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2009.01739eab.005

Dementia care

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 39, Issue 5.

The BBC reported that a third of care homes in this country are still failing to provide specialist dementia care training.

Over 40 per cent of the 6,000 UK care homes surveyed by Laing and Buisson are failing residents with dementia, and their carers. Training was highlighted to be of particular concern and described as:

Ministers have promised to improve dementia care because it is written in the dementia strategy published earlier this year. But how long it will take to cut through existing bureaucracy layered with a well-known culture of resistance to change? Those experienced in care anticipate a long pause while strategy morphs into action; before carers must be trained and residents are properly cared for.

So who, in the mean time, is caring for the estimated 248,000 care home residents with dementia, and who is supporting those doing their best without adequate training? ElderWorld's Managing Director, Peter Ashby says: “This survey clearly indicates that dementia care is in need of direction and legislation now”.

There is no doubt that dementia care must top the Care Quality Commission list of things to do.

Elderworld

Set up in 2000 by a group of social entrepreneurs, ElderWorld's team of skilled experts have the experience to provide a quality series of products and services customised for any provider of elder care. With expertise in e-governance and bespoke e-learning programmes for professional carers as well as friends and family, ElderWorld will support any organisation determined to provide the best care for older people. A further division of ElderWorld, known as CareWorld, provides services and ICT hardware to its healthcare customers. Organisations engaged with ElderWorld include BUPA, other groups of care homes, Local Authorities, Adult Social Care, the National Health Service (NHS) and voluntary sector bodies.

For further information go to: www.elderworld.com