Remember the person

“REMEMBER the person” is the call from the Alzheimer’s Society in Dementia Awareness Week.
Dr Asan Akpan, clinical lead for Elderly, Stroke and Intermediate Care at Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is calling for more awareness of dementia across Warrington and Halton.
The Trust is introducing initiatives to implement the national dementia care strategy, which focuses on improving the quality of care for people being admitted to hospital who have dementia.
The key areas being reviewed are the care pathway, education of staff and the ward environment.
Dr Akpan said: “The national dementia strategy is about improving the pathway, environment and education of staff within hospitals. Patients are not normally admitted to hospital as a result of their dementia, it is normally an illness or injury, but it is important to understand their dementia, as this needs to be accounted for in their treatment and care plan.
“Hospitals can be challenging environments for patients with dementia, with busy ward areas, poor signage and other hazards. As a result small but effective changes are being introduced to wards in Warrington and Halton Hospitals to create a safer and improved environment to reduce anxiety and confusion.
“It is important that all staff that work within a hospital environment have a level of understanding of dementia and aspects of challenging behaviour that might be displayed by a patient when in a new environment and how they can be of benefit to that patient.
“The national dementia strategy will have a real impact on patient care. It is a key part of the Trust’s work to push back the barriers to improve care for its local population.”