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Achieving Quality of Life in Dementia Care Homes
OUR CAMPAIGN 2012
Seven Key Targets That Would Radically Improve Dementia Care Homes:
1. Cohesive Commissioning
In the UK there is no clear vision of what model of dementia care works in care homes: this requires investment in research.
2. Specialist Dementia Care Inspection
The current use in CQC of a generic outcomes methodology across all health and social care services is flawed. Dementia care homes need to be inspected using a dementia specialist measurement approach.
3. Sense In Administration
Dementia care homes are drowning in very burdensome paper requirements from commissioners and regulators which is directly preventing quality of care.
4. No Fee Disincentives
Currently high quality dementia care homes who manage through positive innovative person centred care to reduce a person’s expressions of behaviour then receive a fee reduction – whilst poor quality care homes that do not have these skills and inappropriately rely on neuroleptics use receive high level fees – this lacks basic common sense.
5. Investment In Culture Change Programmes
Investing in a competency based approach to dementia care training is misguided and reinforces task orientation. Dementia care homes need culture change programmes backed up by person centred leadership training.
6. A National Emotional Labour Strategy
Dementia care is all about emotional care and this requires staff giving emotional labour. Care staff need to be guaranteed by employers - support, training and guidance for their emotional labour needs.
7. Positive Recognition Of Overseas Workers
Dementia care homes in the UK are totally reliant on the dedication of staff from overseas and this requires a PR strategy to improve the regard and morale of these staff.
November 2011
Congratulations to Anne, Martin, Sarah and all of the staff at Merevale House and Val Gains from Threshfield Court, Barchester Healthcare for their success at the National Dementia Care Awards which were presented on 2 November at Dementia Congress in Liverpool.
Merevale House won the award for “Outstanding Dementia Care Product or Innovation” and also the award for “Best Dementia Care Home.
David commented:
" This award marks 25 years of Merevale House and Annes passion, heart and emotional intelligence in knowing always what matters most in dementia care. Merevale House will always be the spiritual home of Dementia Care Matters and I remain indebted forever to Anne for believing in me. It is where all my work began 16 years ago, where I felt at home running Dementia Care Matters in its early years and the source of many of our concepts and ideas. Merevale House to this day is a personal anchor for me in knowing what they achieve can spread elsewhere. It is a mark of Anne's humbleness that she was truly surprised at the Awards ceremony how many people's lives in dementia care across the UK Merevale's philosophy has reached. From the bottom of my heart I and everyone in Dementia Care Matters sends Anne, Martin her deputy and the whole team our many congratulations for proving that dementia care can be so different."
Val Gains won the award for the “Best Dementia Care Home Manager.“
David commented:
" Threshfield Court holds a special place in Dementia Care Matters development as it is one of the first large 'corporate' care homes to prove that what Anne had achieved at Merevale House could equally be transferred to this type of home. Backed by Barchester Healthcare's Memory Lane philosophy and led by Sheena Wyllie Director of Dementia Care's driven determination to make things happen Threshfield Court is one of their Beacon sites. It has been a pleasure to work alongside Val, Liz her Deputy and this special team who have put such faith in our work with them and we are proud that they hold Dementia Care Matters kite mark for achieving Quality of Life in dementia care. We are all thrilled in Dementia Care Matters that Vals leadership and her personal qualities have been recognised through this award - there is no one deserves it more."
Two inspiring conferences were attended by nearly 200 participants in September 2011
Dementia Care Matters brings its first National Dementia Care Conference to Dublin
Journal of Dementia Care and Dementia Care Matters conference in Birmingham
1 September 2011
Dementia Care Matters is pleased to announce that the three Diploma Level courses on the National Programme have been granted ReQ (Recognising educational Quality) status by the University of Surrey and the University of Brighton.
Further details click here
8 July 2011
Dementia Care Matters supports the guide distributed in the Independent today - view at the link below:
http://projects.mediaplanet.com/uk/dementia_3_7985/done_paper/dementia_final_pdf.pdf
April 2011
David Sheard has shared Dementia Care Matters full model of dementia care in his new guide.
Achieving real outcomes in dementia care homes.
July 2010
David Sheard has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Surrey.
October 2010 - Dementia Care in the NHS
At the 2nd National Conference on Acute Hospitals and Dementia, organised by St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, David Sheard launched Dementia Care Matters' new model "Inspiring Dementia Care in the NHS: The 70 point NHS Culture and Quality of Care Checklist. checklist
October 2010 - Inspiring Home Support
At a conference organised by Worcestershire County Council, Peter Priednieks, Director and Daren Felgate, Consultant / Trainer lauched Dementia Care Matters' new model for dementia care home support "Inspiring Home Support: The 50 Point Outcomes" Checklist. - checklist
July 2010 - Launch of National dementia care "kitemark"
Dementia Care Matters has launched a Quality of Life "kite mark" which focuses on quality of life outcomes, being recognised for quality dementia care and which provides the Care Quality Commission with independent evidence. press release
December 2009 - Dementia Care Matters and the BBC / Open University
'Feelings Matter Most' in action
As you may be aware Dementia Care Matters was recently involved with the BBC in contributing to the series:
'Can Gerry Robinson Fix Dementia Care Homes?'
The series was shown on:
Tuesday, 8 December BBC 2 at 9 pm and
Tuesday 15 December BBC 2 at 9 pm
The series looked at the quality of life for people living with a dementia in three examples of care homes.
The presenter was Sir Gerry Robinson . In the first programme Paul Edwards from Bradford Dementia Group is featured working with one home using Dementia Care Mapping. Also in the first programme Anne Fretwell and myself are introduced, including Anne's care home Merevale House previously featured in Alzheimer's Society's national training DVD 'Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow'.
The whole of the second programme features excerpts of myself and Anne working with Sir Gerry Robinson using Dementia Care Matters model published by Alzheimer's Society:
· Enabling -- our qualitative observational evaluation
· Inspiring -- the leadership matters approach and 50 point checklist
· Growing -- training that works in dementia care
It demonstrates how quality of life improvements are dependent on real leadership and culture change and the challenges it presents an organisation with.
We hope that you find the series adds to the debate and evidence of what matters most in dementia care. Dementia Care Matters thought long and hard about its involvement in this programme and felt the opportunity to reach a large national audience was worth the commitment required.
The Feelings Matter Most series of 5 publications authored by myself are available to order through:
Families seeking a copy of our free information booklet 'How to Choose a Dementia Care Home' can order this through:
Individuals or organisations seeking a Dementia Care Matters information pack should send this request via e-mail to info@dementiacarematters.com
In addition, I have recorded a post-programme webcast with the Open University where myself and a panel give an expert's opinion on some of the issues the programme raises. This can be accessed via:
Everyone in Dementia Care Matters looks forward to discussing the content and impact of this programme with you over the coming months. Do feel free to circulate this e-mail to the widest possible audience.
With many thanks.
David
David Sheard
Chief Executive / Founder Dementia Care Matters
Visiting Senior Fellow, Division of Health and Social Care, University Of Surrey