KENT NEWS: Health professionals are being given vital training to ensure dementia sufferers receive the essential support they need.
The specialised courses are being run at the Dementia Services Development Centre South East at Canterbury Christ Church University to help tackle the shortage of qualified medical staff.
The training scheme comes after criticism by the National Audit Office which slammed the Department of Health for not prioritising the condition – the most well-known form being Alzheimer’s.
The scheme also tackles criticism about the lack of basic training for doctors and nurses in dementia care by providing accredited courses for medical staff.
Health professionals from Christ Church University believe this shows their commitment not only to sufferers and their families, but to the profession.
The Dementia Services Development Centre, which has been running for six years, offers specialised training and a foundation degree in dementia care.
Doctors, nurses and carers are put on accredited courses, covering everything from early diagnosis to developing new skills for palliative care.
According to Penny Hibberd, director of the centre, this kind of support is vital, especially for poorly paid carers who work outside of the NHS network.
“There is a big need for carers, whether working in the community or in care homes, but many of these positions are taken up by people who left school at 16 who are not qualified,” she said.
“Some care homes have in-house training, but what we’re trying to do is pair that up with accredited courses to make sure they are qualified in dementia care.
“For nurses it is slightly different as they have to frequently update their knowledge.
“They would be expected to do health care training in dementia and they can do this through the university,
“It is also vital for GPs to have training and this has been run through a clinic in Medway.”
Ms Hibberd stressed that individual learning is an important part of the course.
“We look at how we can better the training. We don’t just blanket buy a package, but give carers the support they need to learn how to help people with dementia,” she added.
The centre recently formed a partnership with Avante Care Homes and national charity For Dementia to help identify key areas in need of support.
Ms Hibberd said: “Because so many people are getting dementia, it is important that medical staff and carers know how to treat them.”
Around 700,000 people suffer with dementia in the UK.
The two most common forms of the disease are Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
Vascular is affected by lifestyle, although according to Ms Hibberd, this is a relatively unknown fact.
“If people don’t keep an eye on their blood pressure or have a bad diet or smoke they could get dementia,” she said.
“People usually link smoking with cardiovascular problems but it can also lead to other conditions.
“Medical history of strokes or heart problems within the family can also increase the risk.”
Research has suggested there is no known cause for Alzheimer’s but some experts put it down to damaged and reduced blood cells in the brain.
Sufferers gradually lose their mental functions such as memory, concentration and thought.
There is also a loss in the ability to do everyday things.
Ms Hibberd said there are many challenges facing carers and practitioners in dealing with these patients.
She added that the loss of many community services also piles on the pressure.
“There is no community support anymore,” she said.
“If you live in a small village you have to go out of town for shopping and these things gradually become a lot harder for people with dementia.”
For more information about the training, which takes place over 18 months, visit www.canterbury.ac.uk/health.
POSTED: 24/01/2010 16:00:00
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