The Dementia Support Programme (DSP) is an enhanced offering that sits alongside Right at Home’s core dementia care services.
It is exclusive to Right at Home; having been conceived by two of our franchise owners, Tim Haigh and Alastair Shanks, who realised the findings of research into the impact of our lifestyles could be used as pillars of a more proactive care offering to support Clients living with dementia and their families.
Their ideas were developed in partnership with leading dementia author Jackie Poole; who created an assessment tool to determine the extent to which a person is affected by dementia; and the resulting programme has been backed by a scientific research team at Cambridge University.
The results of the initial pilot within the Right at Home network were highly emotive; with families reporting a significant difference in their loved ones’ communication and cognitive reactions within weeks of starting regular visits from their Right at Home Dementia Support Practitioner.
In next month’s Train the Trainer programme, 30 franchise owners and Care Managers will learn how to develop selected members of their care team into DSP practitioners, and how to promote and market this enhanced service to Clients and referral partners within their communities.
The need has certainly never been greater. A survey from Alzheimer’s Society of around 2,000 people affected by dementia, the largest of its kind, reveals the devastating impact coronavirus has had on their mental health, with a third living with dementia (32%) reporting apathy or a sense of ‘giving up’.
Nearly half of respondents (45%) said that lockdown has had a ‘negative impact’ on their mental health. Around half of unpaid carers (46%) also reported that loved ones with the condition have experienced stress, anxiety or depression.
Right at Home’s People and Brand Development Manager, Heather Keep, said: “Right at Home is fully committed to supporting people to live well with dementia. This has never been more important, given the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the quality of life and available support for those living with dementia. Many local services and support networks have been removed, and it has also been much harder for families to secure a formal diagnosis.
“The Dementia Support Programme gives families access to specialist care and support techniques, to help manage common symptoms of dementia. It involves a very person-centred assessment, to ensure the principles and techniques of care are applied at a level that is appropriate to the Client’s stage of dementia.
“The programme benefits not only people living with dementia, but their families as well, with the aim of delivering an improved quality of life and allowing loved ones to enjoy and cherish their time together for as long as possible.”
