Prof. Anthea Innes, Clare Cutler, David Kilburn and Dr Samuel Nyman represented BUDI at the Alzheimers Show which was held on 19 and 20 April at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London.  This was an excellent show – enhanced by being open to the general public rather than just professionals working in the dementia field.

Patricia McParland, Dr Mariela Gaete-Reyes, Michelle O’Brien, David Kilburn and Jan Weiner represented BUDI at the BIC Show on 19 and 20 March.  BUDI found this first care show experience useful in gathering many contacts whom they are currently following up.

The Dementia Engagement & Empowerment Project (DEEP) has produced a seven-minute film showing people with dementia from across the UK talking about their involvement in activities and groups that are influencing services and policies.

Click here to view film

DEMENTIA AND SIGHT LOSS: DEVELOPING SOCIAL CARE PRACTICE IN DIFFERENT HOUSING SETTINGS

This independent project has been commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research School for Social Care Research. The project runs from July 2012 until January 2014 and is being led by the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York, in collaboration with the Association for Dementia Studies at Worcester University, Bournemouth University Dementia Institute, and the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research at Cambridge University.  The overall aim of the project is to investigate how best to provide care and support for adults living with sight loss and dementia in a range of housing settings. 

Meeting the social care and support needs of people with concurrent dementia and sight loss presents complex challenges. However, the policy aspiration to enable a greater proportion of people with complex needs to live and die in their own homes requires the specific challenges of providing care and support in these settings for people with concurrent dementia and sight loss to be understood and addressed. Previous research has highlighted a number of factors which limit the effective delivery of social care and support specifically for people with concurrent sight loss and dementia, not least that models of care need to respond to both conditions, rather than working in isolation. 

This project will address this gap by building evidence for developing practice guidance in social care and support for people with dementia and sight loss in a range of housing settings. The research will draw on the experience of people living with dementia and sight loss, family members where present, and a range of service providers, commissioners and support planners to explore current practice in social care from a range of perspectives, and identify models of practice, areas where practice could be enhanced and improved, and areas where there is a divergence of evidence. 

The research team brings together the necessary range of expertise and skill sets from across four universities and key experts from the Thomas Pocklington Trust and Housing and Dementia Research Consortium in order to address the complexity of examining models of social care delivery to people with concurrent sight loss and dementia within independent living settings. 

The main outputs from this project will include evidence-based practice guidance and key principle statement highlighting how social care and associated support can best be delivered to people with dementia and sight loss living in a range of housing settings. The development of the guidance will include a stakeholder Consensus Event with practitioners, key experts and people with dementia and sight loss and family members. The results will be disseminated to a wide range of audiences via a programme of activities and through a diverse range of media including lay summaries, presentations and online resources. 

For further information contact:

Karen Croucher, Research Fellow, Centre for Housing Policy, University of York  Karen.Croucher@york.ac.uk

For more information about CHP see: http://www.york.ac.uk/chp/

Dr Simon Evans, Association for Dementia Studies, Worcester University simon.evans@worcs.ac.uk

For more information about the Association for Dementia Studies see: http://www.worcester.ac.uk/discover/association-for-dementia-studies.html

Professor Anthea Innes, Bournemouth University Dementia Institute, Bournemouth University ainnes@bournemouth.ac.uk

For more information about Bournemouth Dementia Institute see: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/dementia-institute/

Anna Clarke, Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research acc44@cam.ac.uk

For more information about CCHPR see: http://www.cchpr.landecon.cam.ac.uk/

For more information about the Thomas Pocklington Trust see: http://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/

For information about the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the NIHR School for Social Care Research see: www.nihr.ac.uk and www.sscr.nihr.ac.uk

A video from the BBC on older adults and videogames

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21116544

 http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2013/01/dementia-and-tourism.html?m=1

Date:       6th February 2013 : 3pm

The Right Care – Dementia Top tips

Register here:

http://www.institute.nhs.uk/option,com_attend_events/task,view/id,257.html

Date:        8th February 2013 : 1pm

Drs. Cameron Camp and Paula Hartman-Stein are presenting a webinar on February 8 entitled “Appropriate Use of CPT Coding in Treatment of Persons with Memory Impairment.”  A recent announcement in the APA Monitor on Psychology incorrectly listed Dr. Camp’s email address.  If you’re interested in signing up for the seminar, please contact him at cameron@cen4ard.com<mailto:cameron@cen4ard.com>.

Date:        26th February : 11am

Early Diagnosis and Case-finding for Dementia

Register here:

http://www.institute.nhs.uk/option,com_attend_events/task,view/id,258.html

A report published by Dr Theresa Baxter
17 January 2013
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=21882

Following a successful fusion bid I (Michele Board) visited Canada in November 2012 to explore opportunities for research, education and practice that can be transferred to the BU/UK context. I was also promoting the newly formed BU Dementia Institute (BUDI), and build on our growing research interests with two Universities in Canada. The trip also included: a visit to the Canadian Alzheimer Association based in Toronto, Professor Pia Kontos at Toronto University, a Dementia memory clinic in Saskatoon, and delivering the key note presentation at fifth meeting of the Knowledge Network in Rural and Remote Dementia Care in Saskatoon.

Professor Pia Kontos at Toronto University was very interesting. Her research on person centred care reinforces the focus we have in our undergraduate nursing programme. She shared her creative approach for the dissemination of research, for example through drama and a new project she is undertaking around clowning. It is hoped ‘clowning’ will help build relationships with those suffering with dementia. See more information about her work at http://www.torontorehab.com/research/kontos.html

The Alzheimer’s Association education team, in Toronto, were very interested to hear about BUDI and the education we have undertaken with Nursing Homes. They also look to the UK as leaders in the formation of a dementia strategy, and the PM taking a lead in promoting and funding dementia research. They are working towards the formation of a dementia strategy.

Visiting the memory clinic in Saskatoon was very interesting. The principle of the memory clinic was fundamentally the same as the memory clinic I have been working in. However, where they differed significantly was on two aspects: all data they collected about patients and their carers/NOK, was used in research, and the use of Telehealth to provide ongoing monitoring and support to clients in remote areas of Saskatoon. Post graduate psychology students were offered placements with the team in the memory clinic. The students actively participated in research whilst developing their skill in cognitive testing. Patients and carer satisfaction was obvious, but it was also supported by the data collected of user satisfaction with the service provided. See this link for more information about the clinic and their research http://www.cchsa-ccssma.usask.ca/ruraldementiacare/

The memory clinic team, led by Professor Debra Morgan, have an annual conference inviting key stakeholders to hear about research undertaken in the previous year, offer suggestions for research plans and share best practice. There is a poster presentation and an award given to the best student poster. I was asked to be one of the reviewers of the posters and was impressed by the quality and diversity of research outputs from the memory clinic.

The key note presentation had four parts: an overview of BUDI and potential areas of mutual interest; the work I have undertaken in the memory clinic; my PhD findings and a tourist guide to Dorset! It was well received with many questions and expressions of interest in our work and visiting Dorset.

A new guide has been launched which supports computer activities for people with dementia. It helps care managers and their staff to use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve quality of life for their clients. The plain-language guide means that professionals who use it do not need to be technically-minded.

The guide is published by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), who hope it will be useful to those who are new to the topic as well as to those who already have some experience of using ICT in dementia support.

There are nine useful sections on the web-based tool, ranging from getting the right kit through to using ICT in reminiscence and life story activities. For instance, the resource provides a table that suggests which types of equipment, such as laptop computers or games consoles, are best for use in the various different activities and the pros and cons of the various options.

SCIE’s Workforce Director Stephen Goulder says:

“For care staff and people with dementia, this guide is invaluable. So much can be achieved these days with computers and ICT. However, some may feel that, because they’re not at a desk very often, then ICT is for others to use. The new guide shows how someone with dementia can be supported to use computers for meaningful activities. Whether it’s playing a game on the internet, finding old songs or using ICT in group reminiscence sessions, computers can make a real difference to people’s lives when living with dementia.”

Example – Keeping in touch

One section looks at how people with dementia can use ICT to use email and internet phone services. This is great for people staying in contact with friends and relatives; pictures can be sent, the address book function means that addresses do not have to be remembered and people can use SKYPE and other systems to contact family all over the world. They can see the other person, as well as hear their voice. This can be great for communication with friends or family who are geographically far away. The section contains tips for successful communication and goes on to suggest how people can start using social media. 

Other sections describe how the technology can help make existing activities easier and more interactive. The guide was compiled using information provided by organisations in the care sector who are already successfully using these technologies. Sometimes just little things can make a big difference: using the web to find pictures from the past or using an iPad to provide a customised audio soundtrack for day care users.

Research for the guide was carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies. Ben Hicks (now of Bournemouth University Dementia Institute: BUDI), who led the research for the guide said:

‘The most important thing is to use the technology as a tool to help with the sorts of activities you would normally be involved in. The ICT is there to make these activities easier, it’s important that the technology should not be the focus or people can get worried.’

The guide is packed with a range of suggestions for using the technology to improve people’s lives. While the guide was compiled with the needs of staff working with people with dementia in mind, those who tested the guide for SCIE felt that it was of much wider value within the care community.

Linda Miller, Senior Research Fellow at IES said:

‘After some of the stories that have been making headlines in recent weeks it was wonderful to hear these accounts from people who are dedicated to improving the lives of elderly and vulnerable people. Their experiences have been central to making this a guide that can really help the care sector make the most of these technologies’.

IT and communications technologies are here to stay and this guide will help any care manager who wants to start using them to improve quality of life for their clients.

For further details on the project please contact Ben Hicks:

bhicks@bournemouth.ac.uk

Carer’s guidance:  http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/ictfordementia/

SCIE research report:  http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/ictfordementia/files/researchreportforictdementiaguide.pdf