John Ramsay, Founder and Managing Director of Social-Ability, kindly shares the following useful insight with Care Sector Hub…
With the pandemic exacerbating longstanding problems in the care sector, the dementia care system is now “on its knees” and staying the current course is simply unsustainable.[1] It’s time to radically rethink our approach to dementia care if we are to ease the pressures currently faced by care homes and the NHS.
Investing in alternative therapies would help the UK realise a new, more positive vision for dementia care, one which prioritises patient wellbeing, minimises the burden on overstretched staff and reduces the sector’s reliance on overmedication. Moreover, this should be combined with improved public education around the disease and its early signs, so we can spot its symptoms earlier and pave the way for better care in later life.
Spotting the signs earlier
Effective treatment of dementia can only begin once the disease is identified, so improving rates of diagnosis must be a paramount priority. Dementia assessments by GPs have reportedly plummeted by a third since the start of the pandemic,[2] resulting in as many as 30,000 people in the UK living with the disease without knowing.[3]
In addition, Social-Ability’s own recent research has uncovered alarming limitations in public understanding of dementia, with almost two thirds of people unable to distinguish its early symptoms from natural signs of old age – despite most people having direct experience of living with someone with the condition. This simply must change if people are to receive timely support.
We must first tackle the issue of dementia being seen as merely a “memory loss disease”. Dementia comes in many guises: frontotemporal dementia, for instance, may present first with personality changes or difficulty with language, while vascular dementia can have varying effects, from reduced social sensitivity to impaired spatial awareness.
If we can increase rates of early diagnosis across the different types of dementia, then we can enlarge the window of opportunity for effective treatments, which can significantly improve quality of life for people living with the condition.
Prioritising people’s wellbeing
Supporting those diagnosed with dementia should not come at the expense of their happiness and quality of life. While early treatment can slow cognitive decline, many people actually see their condition deteriorate as a result of becoming ever lonelier in isolating care home settings.
Credit – Fitzroy (L) Barchester (R)
One in three people living with dementia in the UK reported suffering from loneliness even before the pandemic,[4] so the scale of the task was daunting even before COVID-19. Almost two years later, the impact of lockdowns and social distancing measures, while rightly introduced to save lives, has exacerbated the situation, with 56% of people with dementia feeling “completely isolated”.[5]
As the pandemic eases, care providers should invest in technology which can be brought into people’s homes and bedrooms, bringing with it a chance to socialise and keep the mind active. Social-Ability’s Happiness Programme, for example combines interactive light technology with staff training to help those living with dementia to keep physically, cognitively, and socially active.
Reducing reliance on medication
Alternative treatments such as the Happiness Programme can also help combat one of the gravest longstanding issues the care sector continues to face, namely an overreliance on anti-psychotic medications to alleviate symptoms.
Described by charities as “chemical cosh”,[6] these medicines which act on the brain can cause adverse effects, such as increasing an individual’s risk of suffering a fall.[7] So, with the average care home resident being prescribed seven daily medications, there is an urgent need to reduce this number and reduce the sector’s reliance on these medicines.
Care providers’ urgency should be all the greater given the estimated £250m which these medications cost the NHS each year. Much of this total would be better invested in long-term therapies which prioritise sensory stimulation, relaxation, and reminiscence. We are proud to say that initiatives such as the Happiness Programme have already helped many people, supporting them to lead happier, healthier lives.
A system back on its feet
These priorities should form the pillars of a new vision for dementia care, which will improve health outcomes as well as nurturing people’s happiness. Investing in early identification of symptoms, wellbeing-focused care, and alternatives to anti-psychotic drugs will all help a system which has been ailing for too long to get back on its feet at last.
[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/10/23/home-care-system-elderly-dementia-knees/
[3] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/christmas/2021/11/08/feared-had-alzheimers-did-have-wait-year-diagnosed/
[6] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health13698487…by%20critics%20to%20be%20inappropriate
[7] https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/care-home-residents-risk-falling-multiple-medications/
