QUALITY STANDARDS

People living with dementia may develop symptoms that cause them distress, because of e.g., experiencing hallucinations or paranoid delusions. A person may also go on to develop behaviours which challenge those who care for them. There are care interventions and treatments that may reduce this distress as well as ways of managing this behaviour successfully. Seeking an assessment from your GP or dementia advisor as early as possible to identify the causes of the behaviours can help reduce their impact.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

You may find it beneficial to attend local community groups to build social contacts with other people living with dementia and their carers’. A variety of different groups are available at a range of times and locations to meet different individual interests and support needs. You will be able to ask questions about how to access support and learn from the experiences of others. The friendship and companionship these groups offer can help you feel less isolated and keep you better informed of services and resources.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

A dementia-friendly society is a place where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported.

In a dementia-friendly society people will be aware of and understand dementia, so that people with dementia can continue to live in the way they want to and in the community they choose.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

This pathway enables the person with dementia and their family to manage their own health and care, adopting a number of strategies and accessing resources. Enabling you and your family and friends to build on your strengths and what you know is working for you, should be the approach of all doctors, care staff, dementia advisors.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Presently, there is no pharmacological cure for dementia, though research is ongoing in many areas.

Music has a valuable role to play in enhancing quality of life for people living with the syndrome, and their carers. It has the power to bring people together in the here and now, providing a way to stay connected with loved ones and carers through shared experiences.

It can enliven, stimulate and enable people to express themselves creatively beyond words. This involvement enables people to be seen for who they are beyond their diagnosis.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

If you are beginning to struggle with everyday tasks around the house it can hinder your ability to live independently. Assistive technology are adaptations to your house which meet your changing needs.
A referral can be made to social services to access the assistive technology available to you. An appointment with an occupational therapist will help to understand what changes and adaptations might help you, and the therapist will create a detailed personal plan for your needs.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

If you or a family member has symptoms of dementia it is important to be diagnosed as early as possible. Earlier diagnosis allows for early interventions which enables people with dementia to live independently for longer.
Health and social care professionals should act on reports or observations of symptoms to facilitate early diagnosis. Once diagnosed, people with dementia should be offered interventions and not have to wait until their symptoms worsen.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Social prescribing is a way for local agencies to refer people to a link worker. Link workers give people time, focusing on ‘what matters to them’ and taking a holistic approach to people’s health and wellbeing. They connect people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support, link workers also support existing community groups to be accessible and sustainable, and help people to start new groups, working collaboratively with all local partners.
Social prescribing is used where people can live better by improving social and environmental aspects of their lives. For example, social prescriptions might encourage people to live better by being active in their local community by volunteering, befriending or doing activities provided by community organisations.
 

For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Therapy can help you learn skills and strategies to make the most of your memory in terms of your current problems, or ways to help strengthen your thinking and memory. These approaches make the most of your skills and mental functions through exercises and activities.

These therapies may be based on art or music, or a course of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy. There should be a range of therapies so that you can choose which is most suitable for you.

Arts and creative therapies are offered to people at early stages. Arts can stimulate sensory and motor activation, encourage social engagement, stimulate learning through creativity in a failure-free environment and help build cognitive reserve.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Arts and creative therapies and maintaining a connection to these, be it things you have always enjoyed and engaged with and/or the offer of new engagement and alternatives are embedded in conversations with you, as part of person centred care planning.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

The more physically active people are, we know that this has a positive effect on their general health and mental wellbeing. Having access to leisure and physical activities that you may enjoy and wish to continue with will make a difference.
 
For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.