Dementia Resources: Ongoing Learning and Development
For support with ongoing Learning and Development, Skills for Care have a range of links, documents and ideas to manage all aspects of training.
See their resource library here
iCare Dementia
Created by Mental Health Nurse Cat Ritson, the iCare website provides user-friendly advice and guidance for care staff who want to gain further understanding about supporting someone living with dementia.
This comprehensive resource pack includes information about physical health, effective communication, best interest decisions, self-care and emotions management as well as a mental capacity assessment.
Please note this is currently a Suffolk resource.
Mental health needs for older persons
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust have created some useful resources and contact sheets to assist managing mental health needs for Older Persons.
These resources include:
• A flow chat to help care staff consider possible causes to changes in emotions, behaviour, and functioning.
Click here to view the flow chart.
• Posters showing hours and contact details for the service lines in East Herts, North Herts, Southwest Herts, and Northwest Herts (including Community and RTS, EMDASS, crisis and ICT Mental Health Nurses. As well as assessment and treatment wards and continuing healthcare wards).
Click here for the Northwest Herts contact details poster
Click here for the Southwest Herts contact details poster
Click here for the East Herts contact details poster
Click here for the North Herts contact details poster
• A poster showing contacts and management for mental health services in East, Southwest and Northwest Herts, plus routes for new referrals.
Click here to view the poster
Dementia and LGBT people
The National Care Forum (NCF) has published a second paper focusing on supporting LGBT people with dementia. The UK is home to an estimated 1.2 million older lesbian and gay people, yet they are an invisible population and rarely acknowledged by service providers and commissioners. Whilst the existence of a National Dementia Strategy has helped to ensure that dementia is at the top of the national agenda and the Alzheimer’s Society estimates that there will be an estimated 1 million people with dementia in the UK by 2025, there is no specific reference to LGBT issues in the strategy.
This new paper, which NCF in partnership with The National LGB&T Partnership and the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group has produced, focuses on the needs of the LGBT communities, exploring how care professionals can provide more appropriate support.
Bob Green, Chief Executive, Stonewall Housing, said:
“More providers and commissioners need to learn from the good practice and key recommendations identified in this report and in our previous work following our roundtable event in 2014.
We look forward to working with our partners to improve evidence of our communities’ experiences and to continue to drive up standards of care for LGBT people with dementia.”
Des Kelly OBE, Executive Director, National Care Forum, said:
“Our new paper follows up on a roundtable convened by NCF/VODG and the LGBT Partnership to recognise there is an invisible population of 1.2m people likely to be affected by issues relating to dementia and people from LGBT communities. Highlighting best practice in this area is still difficult which is why a change is mindset is vital. Pioneering care providers are emerging to lead the way on the necessary change to improve services and we can learn from their experiences.”
Useful dementia resources
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| Alzheimers Society information guides and accessible tools | Click here |
| Dementia friendly environment video | Click here |
| Hertswise Dementia Hubs | Click here |
| Hertswise Dementia Services in Hertfordshire | Click here |
| Hertswise Dementia Support leaflet | Click here |
| Hertswise Dementia Support - Living with Dementia & Memory decline flyer | Click here |
| Journal of Dementia Webinar | Click here |
| Journal of Dementia Care website | Click here |
| Journal of Dementia Care resources | Click here |
| M4D Radio, free 24/7 music with no ads with era themed stations | Click here |
| Research in Practice For Adults, Department of Health Practice Guidance | Click here |
| VERA Framework and approach to good communication with people living with dementia | Click here |
| Hertfordshire Dementia Strategy | Click here |
| SCIE guidance and resources for people living with dementia | Click here |
Dementia past webinar resources
Hertfordshire Care Homes Dementia Support Services Webinar – Monday 18th March 2024
Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust hosted a webinar for all older people residential and nursing providers to explain the different services available, including when and how to access. This session is ideal for leaders, managers, and seniors within residential and nursing settings.
- Click here for the webinar recording
- Click here for the webinar slides
- Click here for the dementia checklist
Understanding the experience and impact of Dementia:
- Video – Finding Patience- The Later Years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgVKw-Wfxy4
- Video – Dementia and Memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTk3bQ7OSIY
- Video – A Walk Through Dementia – at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GBXEjw3iHw
- Video – Do I See What You See? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jekW8Z93LMw
- Video – Dementia from the Inside – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erjzl1WL8yQ
Helplines:
- Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Connect (support line): 0333 150 3456
- Age UK (advice line): 0800 678 1602 (free)
- Independent Age (help line): 0800 319 6789 (free)
- Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurse (help line): 0800 888 6678 (free)
- Carers Direct (help line): 0300 123 1053 (free)
- Carers UK (help line): 0800 808 7777 (free)