Improving Dementia Services in England

Improving Dementia Services in England

Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 9780102963328

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The Department of Health has developed an ambitious and comprehensive strategy for dementia, Living Well with Dementia (February 2009). Yet, despite the Department stating that dementia is now a national priority, it has not been given the levers or urgency normally expected for such a priority and there is a risk that value for money will remain poor unless these weaknesses are addressed urgently. Dementia was not included in the Department's tier 1 Vital Signs indicators for the NHS, through which it monitors performance. Other levers such as joined-up commissioning and comprehensive performance information, are not yet fully developed. Achieving transformation in the proposed five years will be very challenging. The Department does not have evidence on current and future costs and benefits; the strategy is likely to cost much more than the estimated £1.9 billion over ten years. The Department expects implementation of the strategy to be mostly funded through efficiency savings arising from the acute hospital and long-term care sectors, though the NAO foresees difficulties in achieving this. There is no basic training for healthcare professionals on how to understand and work with people with dementia. Strong leadership is also key to improving services, but this is not yet in place in local NHS and social care delivery organisations, nor is there enough joined-up working between health and social care services for people with dementia. The report points out that there are some examples of excellent practice which could already be making a difference if they were adopted across the country. But it is not clear that services are making best use of money.


Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America

Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America

Author: National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine

Publisher:

Published: 2022-04-26

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780309495035

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As the largest generation in U.S. history - the population born in the two decades immediately following World War II - enters the age of risk for cognitive impairment, growing numbers of people will experience dementia (including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias). By one estimate, nearly 14 million people in the United States will be living with dementia by 2060. Like other hardships, the experience of living with dementia can bring unexpected moments of intimacy, growth, and compassion, but these diseases also affect people's capacity to work and carry out other activities and alter their relationships with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. Those who live with and care for individuals experiencing these diseases face challenges that include physical and emotional stress, difficult changes and losses in their relationships with life partners, loss of income, and interrupted connections to other activities and friends. From a societal perspective, these diseases place substantial demands on communities and on the institutions and government entities that support people living with dementia and their families, including the health care system, the providers of direct care, and others. Nevertheless, research in the social and behavioral sciences points to possibilities for preventing or slowing the development of dementia and for substantially reducing its social and economic impacts. At the request of the National Institute on Aging of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America assesses the contributions of research in the social and behavioral sciences and identifies a research agenda for the coming decade. This report offers a blueprint for the next decade of behavioral and social science research to reduce the negative impact of dementia for America's diverse population. Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America calls for research that addresses the causes and solutions for disparities in both developing dementia and receiving adequate treatment and support. It calls for research that sets goals meaningful not just for scientists but for people living with dementia and those who support them as well. By 2030, an estimated 8.5 million Americans will have Alzheimer's disease and many more will have other forms of dementia. Through identifying priorities social and behavioral science research and recommending ways in which they can be pursued in a coordinated fashion, Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America will help produce research that improves the lives of all those affected by dementia.


Risk Assessment and Management for Living Well with Dementia

Risk Assessment and Management for Living Well with Dementia

Author: John Keady

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Published: 2011-08-15

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0857005197

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Risk is central to professional practice, assessment and decision-making in dementia care. Yet theories of risk are often complex and difficult to translate into everyday practice. This book outlines some of the key issues in risk perception, assessment and management in dementia care in a way that is both practical and accessible to a wide range of practitioners. It develops an approach to risk that promotes choice for people with dementia whilst also acknowledging the complex challenges care providers face. The authors provide an overview of the legislative framework currently in place, and of the ethical dilemmas which may emerge in practice. Frameworks for informed and balanced decision-making are offered, and the importance of including the person with dementia, their family, and care providers in decision-making is emphasised. Throughout the book, case studies are used to illustrate effective negotiation and practical solutions to risk dilemmas in practice. This book highlights principles of good practice for managing risk in dementia care, and presents a rounded approach that will help practitioners negotiate some of the complex issues this entails.


Dementia

Dementia

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13: 9789241564458

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The report “Dementia: a public health priority” has been jointly developed by WHO and Alzheimer's Disease International. The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of dementia as a public health priority, to articulate a public health approach and to advocate for action at international and national levels.


Global Age-friendly Cities

Global Age-friendly Cities

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 83

ISBN-13: 9241547308

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The guide is aimed primarily at urban planners, but older citizens can use it to monitor progress towards more age-friendly cities. At its heart is a checklist of age-friendly features. For example, an age-friendly city has sufficient public benches that are well-situated, well-maintained and safe, as well as sufficient public toilets that are clean, secure, accessible by people with disabilities and well-indicated. Other key features of an age-friendly city include: well-maintained and well-lit sidewalks; public buildings that are fully accessible to people with disabilities; city bus drivers who wait until older people are seated before starting off and priority seating on buses; enough reserved parking spots for people with disabilities; housing integrated in the community that accommodates changing needs and abilities as people grow older; friendly, personalized service and information instead of automated answering services; easy-to-read written information in plain language; public and commercial services and stores in neighbourhoods close to where people live, rather than concentrated outside the city; and a civic culture that respects and includes older persons.