Should dementia training be compulsory for all staff in adult social care?
Watching the second part of “Can Gerry Robinson fix Dementia Care Homes?” it was painful to acknowledge the vulnerability of people with dementia. This was balanced by the visionary leadership shown by Anne Fretwell and the commitment of the staff at Merevale House. The home has an inspiring focus on person-centred dementia care and a passion for empowering residents by providing opportunities to live their lives with meaning, dignity and respect. (photo credit Merevale House)
The issue of inspired and passionate leadership is a challenge for the whole of the care sector. There is an urgent need to develop strategic performance management systems which will drive quality and improve care services. A very clear message from the programme is the importance of education and training for staff. Fortunately there are an increasing number of accessible and free specialist training resources and my previous post identified a number of online resources. I would also recommend the innovative Social care TV dementia videos
Dr Carol Komaromy, a senior lecturer in health studies and one of the Open University academic advisors to the programme, writes: “People who live in care homes for older people are often hidden from the public view. Coping with the complex care demands of people with dementia requires a high level of skill and compassion and yet carers are often underpaid and the value of what they do remains unrecognised. The programme highlights the need for specialist training and the difference this can make to the experience of living with dementia. It is a sad indictment of society that providing care resources for people with dementia seems to have a low level of priority. More than this, as the series shows, there is so much more that could be done even within limited resources.
“I would argue that a culture of care would need to support paid carers in a direct engagement with the needs of people with dementia and recognise that they are also people with diverse emotional needs who need to feel supported and valued. While it is clearly the case that protocols and resources need to be in place for this to happen, homes need to shift to a culture of care that places people with dementia at the centre. A key element in making this happen is education and training.”
The Open University has produced a free leaflet, Dementia Care: Sustaining The Person Within, to accompany the programmes. It lists the help and support available when making decisions affecting the care of people with dementia and can be ordered through the following link
The Commission for Social Care Inspection provided the first public benchmark for quality in care homes in what had been a largely unregulated sector. I hope that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) recognises the important role of the care homes inspectorate and provides the resources to strengthen their role and extend their remit. Since staff are the biggest cost and the most vulnerable to cutbacks is it time for a review of the CQC regulatory requirements for staffing and qualifications? An equally urgent question is whether local authorities should refuse to place residents in dementia homes rated as “poor or adequate by the CQC.
In this digital age I believe that all care homes should have internet access for resident and staff. The SCIE get connected investment project for adult social care is distributing £12 million to registered providers of adult social care in England to assist them with their information, communications and technology. They will focus on providers who do not have good access to the internet. The initiative is to allow those who use, visit or work in adult social care services to benefit from the learning, knowledge and access that the internet can bring.
In the next 20 years over a million of us will have dementia, we need a serious debate about our expectations and aspirations for the care which will be provided to one of the most vulnerable groups in society.
Part Two of “Can Gerry Robinson fix Dementia Care Homes?” can be seen on BBC iplayer
Telling Tales About Dementia – Experiences of Caring which is edited by Lucy Whitman explores how it feels when someone clsoe develops dementia? How do you cope with the shock, the stress and the grief? Can you be sure that you and your family will receive the support you need? In Telling Tales About Dementia, thirty carers from different backgrounds and in different circumstances share their experiences of caring for a parent, partner or friend with dementia. They speak from the heart about love and loss: ‘I still find it hard to believe that Alzheimer’s has happened to us,’ writes one contributor, ‘as if we were sent the wrong script.’ The stories told here vividly reflect the tragedy of dementia, the gravity of loss, and instances of unsatisfactory diagnosis, treatment and care. But they contain hope and optimism too: clear indications that the quality of people’s lives can be enhanced by sensitive support services, by improved understanding of the impact of dementia, by recognising the importance of valuing us all as human beings, and by embracing and sustaining the connections between us.
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Tags: alzheimer's disease, be inspired, dementia, education and training, families, Leadership and Management, older people, social care, vulnerable adults
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January 4th, 2010 at 6:56 am
Great post!! I just have to copy it, I have written a blog about dementia too, please come visit my site when u have time ^_^