Dementia awareness campaign
The national campaign for dementia awareness launches on 1 March 2010. Run in partnership with The Alzheimer’s Society, the campaign will address poor public understanding of dementia. Read more »
What's new
Quality Accounts
From April 2010, all providers of acute, mental health, learning disability and ambulance services will be required to produce a Quality Account. Read more »
Regional review of local action plans to implement the National Dementia Strategy
Each South West community was asked to submit a local action plan following an appraisal of their progress in the summer of 2009. This report is designed to provide a helpful benchmark for local communities to assess the strength of their existing action plans. Read more »
Personal Care at Home Bill debate continues
The Personal Care at Home Bill was debated in the House of Lords recently. The next stage of the Bill will be in the House of Lords during March 2010. Read more »
This is me
‘This is me’ is a leaflet produced by the Alzheimer’s Society to help hospital staff better understand the needs of people with dementia. Read more »
South West Dementia Partnership Summit 2010
Monday 12 April 2010, 9.30am-4.30pm Taunton Racecourse, Taunton, TA3 7BL. Book now to avoid disappointment. Read more »
Living well with dementia in Devon
Devon’s strategic objective in relation to dementia is to narrow the gap between the recorded and the currently estimated prevalence of dementia by at least 25% in the next 5 years. Read more »
NHS to provide more care at home
A recent report from the Audit Commission shows that older people who have the opportunity to be looked after in their own home if they want to are happier and there are less costs to the taxpayer. Read more »
National Life Story Network launch
The National Life Story Network was launched at a conference in Leeds on 12th February. The network provides a national forum to support the use of Life Story work among people with dementia, and others. Read more »
Intermediate care guidance updated
The guidance on intermediate care issued to NHS and local authorities has been updated, to improve the access of people with dementia to intermediate care services. Read more »
Dementia: An introductory guide for ambulance clinicians
The purpose of this guide is to provide basic information and point ambulance clinicians in the direction of where to find out more. Read more »
Conference – improving dementia care in general hospitals
Download presentations from the regional conference on improving dementia care in general hospitals, jointly organised by the South West Dementia Strategy Group and the British Geriatrics Society, held at Exeter Racecource on Tuesday 26 January 2010. Read more »
Dementia: ethical issues
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics report Dementia: ethical issues presents an ethical framework to help those who face dilemmas in connection with the everyday care of someone with dementia. Read more »
Bridging the Gap
Presentations from the ‘Bridging the Gap’ telecare symposium held on 20th January 2010, London. Read more »
Brain Waves, issue 22
The December 2009 / January 2010 edition of the Brain Waves newsletter is available to download from the Innovations in Dementia website. Read more »
Dementia information portal podcasts
Watch podcasts on the Department of Health’s Dementia Information Portal to find out about key events and people involved in the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy. Read more »
Personal budgets for older people – making it happen
This guide focuses on how councils can make personal budgets work well for older people and their families. It looks at how to ensure they are accessible, simple to use, flexible and help to achieve the things that matter most to the people using them. Read more »
Living well with dementia bulletin, Issue 1, January 2010
This first bulletin provides a summary on the key findings of the partnership’s recent review of dementia services across the South West. Read more »
Housing for an Ageing Population Panel for Innovation report
The Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) has gathered good practice from across Europe and put together new and creative proposals to help ensure that future housing will create sustainable and inclusive homes and neighbourhoods which our ageing population want and can afford to live in. Read more »
The Lion's Face – an opera about dementia
The Lion’s Face is an opera about dementia which will use the medium of opera and poetry to describe the experiences of the patient, the carer and the research scientist. Read more »
Ageism and age discrimination in mental health care in the United Kingdom: a review from the literature
This literature review examined possible evidence of age discrimination in the provision of mental health care services for older people in the United Kingdom. Read more »
The Alzheimer's Choir
This moving documentary is an honest portrayal of the strain dementia can put on a relationship, but also the enduring nature of love and the powerful role music can play in that. Read more »
Dementia Care: sustaining the person within
The Open University has produced a free leaflet, Dementia Care: Sustaining The Person Within, to accompany the BBC programmes Can Gerry Robinson fix dementia care homes. Read more »
Can Gerry Robinson fix dementia care homes
Videos and commentary following the BBC documentary in which Sir Gerry Robinson explores the care of people with dementia in care homes. Read more »
South West dementia services review report
The overview report provides information about the review process and how the fourteen health and social care communities are taking forward implementation of the National Dementia Strategy across the South West region. Read more »
NHS Operating Framework 2010/11 includes dementia in the priorities section
The NHS Operating Framework for 2010/11 includes dementia in the priorities section, under areas to support local prioritisation (para 2.51 p 22). Read more »
National End of Life Care Programme newsletter – Dementia theme
Dementia care is the theme of the December 2009 issue of the National End of Life Care Programme newsletter. Read more »
Gloucestershire Primary Care Dementia Summit
Download the presentations and documents from the Gloucestershire Primary Care Dementia Summit. Read more »
SCIE Dementia Gateway
The Dementia Gateway contains practical tips, tools and activities on key areas as well as free e-learning programmes, developed by the Social Care Institute for Excellence in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Society. Read more »
Gloucestershire primary care dementia summit
NHS Gloucestershire hosted a Primary Care Dementia Summit on 24th November 2009 to support the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy and the findings South West review of dementia services. Read more »
Guidance on the support of people with learning disabilities who develop dementia
Guidance on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and support of people with learning disabilities who develop dementia. Co-published by The British Psychological Society and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Read more »
Working together for change: using person-centred information for commissioning
This report describes a simple six-stage process that uses person centred information (for example from person centred reviews, person centred plans or support plans) to drive strategic change and commissioning. Read more »
Service specification: A floating support service for people with dementia
This service specification and case study describes a floating support for people with dementia, provided by the charity Rethink and jointly commissioned by four authorities in the South and South West of England. Read more »
Practice-based commissioning: theory, implementation and outcome
This report describes and analyses the rationale for, and implementation and outcomes of, practice based commissioning in the NHS between 2007-2009. Read more »
Managing end of life problems
This clinical knowledge summary covers the principles of palliative care, and reviews the management of some common problems in palliative care. Read more »
Commissioning domiciliary care for people with dementia and their carers
The purpose of this paper is to assist commissioners in ensuring that homecare for people with dementia is appropriate to their needs and/or the needs of their carers. It is informed by the views of people with dementia and of people who have been, or currently are, carers; and of people who are professionally involved… Read more »
Counting the cost: caring for people with dementia on hospital wards
This report provides evidence on the quality of dementia care provided on general wards in hospitals across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Using evidence received from carers and nurses on the quality of care provided the key areas of need that are not being met are discussed. These include: understanding dementia the provision of person-centred… Read more »
Pocket guide to National Dementia Strategy for care homes
This pocket guide explains how the National Dementia Strategy (NDS) affects providers and managers of care home services. Read more »
Counting the cost: caring for people with dementia on hospital wards
Alzheimer’s Society report provides evidence from over 2,400 people with dementia, carers and nurses on the quality of dementia care provided on general wards in hospitals. Read more »
Index of leadership trust
This report enables leaders and managers to recognise the factors that are fundamental to trust, and provides them with the tools to shape their behaviour to improve trust in themselves and their organisations as a whole. Read more »
Government takes action on antipsychotic drugs and dementia
The Government has outlines how it plans to take action on antipsychotic drugs and dementia in response to an independent review by Professor Sube Banerjee. Read more »
Dementia: ethical issues
A new report on ‘Dementia: ethical issues’ has been published by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics for service providers, people with dementia and carers. Read more »
Report from the Ministerial Summit on Dementia Research
The report details the views of researchers, service providers and people living with dementia who attended the Ministerial Summit on Dementia Research. Read more »
Person-centred approaches
This Community Care magazine feature on using person-centred approaches to supporting people to live well with dementia profiles the recent work of the Social Care Institute for Excellence in this field. Read more »
Living Well with Dementia "The South West Way"
The South West Dementia Strategy Group recently organised a conference to present the findings of the South West Dementia Review and to discuss the way forward. Read more »
End of life care for people with dementia
This project aimed to identify the major barriers for dementia patients and their carers in accessing good quality end of life care. The research findings suggest cost effective ways of enabling improvements. Read more »
Dementia champion pioneers changes in care home
Care home “dementia champion” Cheri Needham talks to Community Care magazine about her passion for a new approach to caring for people with dementia. Read more »
Local innovation scheme awards launched
After 10 years of celebrating and sharing, the Beacon Scheme is ending. It is being replaced by the new and exciting Local Innovation Awards Scheme. Read more »
The use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia: Time for action
The report explores the current evidence base, the law, and practice relating to prescription of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia. Read more »
World Alzheimer Report 2009
The World Alzheimer Report 2009 presents the most comprehensive global prevalence study of dementia to date and looks at levels of mortality, disability, strain on carers and dependency. Read more »