Dementia Action Week 2024
Dementia Action Week (13 - 19 May) is promoted by Alzheimer's Society to raise awareness about improving dementia care in the UK and encourage people and organisations to act regarding dementia. This year, the theme is focussed on dementia diagnosis and encouraging healthcare leaders and providers to prioritise dementia in policy and decision-making.
This year, Alzheimer's Society theme is focussed on improving diagnosis rates for dementia, and earlier diagnosis provides people with the care, treatment and support they need, however 1 in 3 people do not have a diagnosis.
This symptoms checklist > provides a useful guide on possible symptoms of dementia.
Dementia Framework
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) has progressed work in this area and launched our Dementia Framework (2023 - 2028), outlining our vision to deliver excellence in dementia care over the next five years. The framework explains how we will work with patients, families, carers, our community, and partners to deliver our core commitments and objectives. Read the full framework here >.
Our Dementia Team have worked hard to develop good practice to support our dementia patients, including a 'Getting to Know Me' form which captures personalised information about patients for healthcare staff to use when communicating or providing care. This improves communication between staff and patients, while equipping staff with the tools to deliver better and more patient-centred care.
Mo's story
Recently, the team used the 'Getting to Know Me' form to deliver care to Mo, a patient who was within our care and has since sadly passed away.
Mo's daughter, Jo shared her mum's story about receiving care at UHDB, thanking staff for the compassionate care they provided during her time there. Mo was diagnosed with vascular dementia and lived at home before admission to Royal Derby Hospital following a fall. Jo was unable to visit frequently during Mo's time at the Trust due to caring for her father and was a challenging time for her to balance both. The team encouraged Jo to complete a 'Getting to Know Me' form which helped staff engage Mo better when providing care, and reassured Jo that her mum was well taken care of by staff who understood her.
Mo's story shows the importance of understanding patients individually and involving family when planning care.
Using proven methods to enhance patient care and experience is part of our key objectives, outlined in our framework and we will continue to build on this work so we can improve outcomes for those in our care, and families.