Strategies to improve dementia care in hospital
Hospital care for people with dementia can be improved in order to achieve better clinical outcomes, as well as more efficient use of health spending, an Alzheimer’s Australia report launched last week suggested.
Glenn Rees, Alzheimer’s Australia chief executive, says dementia is often not recognised in hospitals, and even when it is, appropriate care is not always provided.
The report, Dementia care in the acute hospital setting: issues and strategies launched during the Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services Symposium in Western Australia, identifies a range of practical strategies to improve acute care for people with dementia.
“People with dementia struggle to get appropriate care in many hospitals. Dementia is often not recognised, and even when it is, appropriate care is not always provided,” Glenn Rees, Alzheimer’s Australia chief executive, said.
“Patients with dementia in hospitals face up to a five fold increase in mortality rates because they are more likely to experience an adverse event such as falls, sepsis or pressure ulcers while in hospital.
“Improving the outcomes for people with dementia in hospitals begins with providing better care. Simple strategies such as appropriately identifying whether a person has a cognitive impairment and involving carers in developing care pathways for the person with dementia can go a long way towards achieving better care.”
According to Mr Rees, there are already some successful initiatives in place like the TOP5 program used in some NSW hospitals, which has proved to be an effective tool for engaging carers of the person with dementia.
The program enables carers to communicate their top five care strategies for the person with dementia to assist health care professionals to enhance the quality of care provided to the patient.
“These initiatives are improving care for people with dementia but more needs to be done to look at how such successful programs can be rolled out nationally. The federal government’s commitment of $39.2 million over five years to improve hospitals for people with dementia as part of the 2012 Aged Care Reforms is a crucial first step,” he said.
The issues and strategies summarised in the report were discussed at the Dementia Care in Hospitals Symposium held in Sydney on 29 April 2014. The symposium brought together leading dementia researchers and experts who discussed the latest findings on dementia care, as well as interventions and strategies to improve the quality of care.
