Thursday 25 October 2012

£50m set aside for dementia patients

£50m set aside for dementia patients: A new fund of £50m to create calming environments for people with dementia, which aid treatment by helping sufferers to avoid confusion, will be announced on Thursday by the health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The money will be available to NHS trusts and local authorities working in partnership with social care providers to help tailor hospitals and care homes to the needs of those with dementia.
Hunt's aides claim that the announcement puts the care of sufferers at the heart of his priorities in a week when abusive workers from Winterbourne View care home are sentenced for assaulting elderly and frail patients.
But critics point out that the money will make an insignificant impact upon the key problem within the sector. It does not address long term funding for thousands of sufferers who need constant care but are increasingly left to fend for themselves in the private sector.
Hunt said that the announcement will have a real impact upon the lives of patients across the country.
"Being one of the best for dementia is a priority for this government, and doing what we can to help people with the condition feel more safe and secure in their environment is an important part of this.
"Responding with dignity and compassion to dementia is the only sensible reaction to the urgent challenges we face as our population ages," he said.
The money will be used to expand the range of care services offering dedicated dementia-friendly environments, and to promote further use of design techniques to help the growing number of people with dementia get the best possible care.
Options for the money include specially-designed rooms that include hi-tech sensory rooms using lighting, smells and sound to stimulate those with dementia, or specially-adapted outside space to prevent patients from wandering.
It could also fund technology such as controllable mood lighting to simulate day and night, which help people with dementia stay independent and well-cared for, or pay for calming colours and large-print signs to help residents know where they are and find their way back to their room.
Research by The King's Fund has shown that cluttered ward layouts and poor signage in hospitals and care homes were the top reasons for causing confusion and distress in people with dementia.
Taking steps such as using a particular colour scheme, creating a designated quiet space or establishing a gardening patch significantly helped to reduce patient distress and assisted with the management of the condition.
Funding will go to NHS Trusts and local authorities working in partnership with social care providers to make improvements. But the money will only be awarded if care providers sign up to the Dementia Care and Support Compact, which commits them to providing first rate care and support for people with dementia and their families. The Guardian

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