ExtraCare
1. The National Dementia Declaration lists a number of outcomes that we are seeking to achieve for people with dementia and their carers. How would you describe your organisation's role in delivering better outcomes for people with dementia and their carers?
The ExtraCare Charitable Trust (ECCT) operates 30 housing schemes and villages in the Midlands and Northwest, we have over 3500 residents supported by more than 1500 staff and 3000 volunteers . Our services provide housing for people over 55 years with mixed abilities in mixed tenure properties, which are peoples own homes. We offer housing to people with a diagnosis of dementia where it is established that we can meet their needs and our stated ambition is that we will endeavour to provide people with a home for life, including if their life's journey takes them to experiencing dementia.
Our housing provision enables couples to continue to be together in their own homes when one party is living with dementia. This feature enables essential personal relations to be maintained and provides community support for carers.
ECCT has developed and evaluated a pioneering programme to support people living with dementia and their carers living in extra-care housing, which has been evaluated by Bradford University. This Enriched Opportunities Programme (EOP) provides a specialist dementia therapist known as the Locksmith, a whole team person-centred dementia understanding and dedicated management. The full report describing the positive outcomes can be located at http://www.extracare.org.uk/extracare-communities/care-and-well-being/dementia-care.aspx
2. What are the challenges to delivering these outcomes from the perspective of your organisation?
The Enriched Opportunities Programme is mainly funded from our charitable resources, but going forward the major challenge is to attract statutory funding for the programme. Generally the impairments experienced by people living with dementia are seen as disabling them from independently managing their activities of daily living and the provision of care for this physical care attracts funding. This funding challenge is further hindered by some incorrect perceptions of statutory funders that our communities are available primarily for the privileged few.
Although ECCT sees an improving picture, stigma and prejudice remains regarding dementia and thus provide two challenges:
- ECCT is working to support people to obtain early diagnosis and consequent early intervention; however there remains a reluctance by people and their extended families to establish what is often seen as a mental illness.
- ECCT sites are communities and prejudice remains within the demographic translating into a reluctance to fully accept people living with dementia.
3. What are your plans as an organisation to respond to these challenges between now and 2014?
- We will continue to recruit Locksmiths to provide a dementia therapist service for all of our housing locations, ensuring equity for everyone who lives in an ECCT location.
- We will investigate and negotiate with statutory health and social care purchasers to receive appropriate remuneration for our Locksmith dementia therapy service.
- We will investigate and where appropriate implement out reach Locksmith services to the wider community that surrounds our service locations. We see this as a potential income opportunity
- We will continue to develop short yet powerful training sessions that will maintain high staff awareness and understanding of the experience of living with dementia. This will ensure continued high standards of support in financially constrained times.
- We will develop inspiring awareness sessions for people who live in ECCT locations; these will raise understanding and reduce stigma and prejudice.
- We will develop Locksmith drop in clinics for the people we serve which will provide opportunities to investigate memory problems and where appropriate, achieve an early diagnosis.
- We will develop awareness sessions to establish understanding of lasting power of attorney and advanced directives to initiate future planning, so that people can prepare should their life experience include dementia.
- We will continue to investigate and implement varied group and individual therapeutic interventions to support people who live with dementia.
- We will investigate and introduce assistive technologies to optimise independence and fulfilment for people who live with dementia.