Dementia

This case study report provides examples of extra care schemes and other housing-related community services supporting people with dementia to develop meaningful relationships to reduce social isolation and loneliness.

People living with dementia should be offered activities such as exercise, aromatherapy, art, gardening, baking, reminiscence therapy, music therapy, mindfulness and animal assisted therapy to help promote their wellbeing. The recommendation comes in NICE's updated quality standard on dementia published 28 June 2019. It says people living with dementia and people involved in their care should be given the opportunity to talk about their life experiences, preferences, interests, strengths with a healthcare professional. This can help the person living with dementia to choose activities to promote wellbeing that suit their preferences and needs.

This report aims to shine a spotlight on dementia as a disability. It seeks to enable people with dementia to assert their rights to services and for their rights as citizens to be treated fairly and equally. Evidence presented to the inquiry revealed that people with dementia are not having their disability rights upheld. This report seeks to highlight the human impact this has on people living with dementia.

This report summarises data and people's experiences about social care reviews, reassessments and their outcomes for people with dementia. It also includes recommendations

This assessment is based on press reports highlighting a study which reported anticholinergic medicines were associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, depending on the dose and duration of use.

According to domestic law and international convention, dementia is a disability. Thousands of people who responded to an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) inquiry agreed that they see dementia as a disability. But they told the APPG that society is lagging behind and failing to uphold the legal rights of people with dementia. The evidence reveals that, across the country, people with dementia are not having their disability rights upheld. This report seeks to highlight the human impact that this has on people living with dementia. It focuses on themes of equality, non-discrimination, participation and inclusion.

This research finds that the interface between primary care and long-term care is complex. In the case of dementia, this interface may be influenced by incentives offered to GPs as part of the Quality and Outcomes Framework to provide an annual review for patients with dementia. The hypothesis is that the annual reviews reduce the likelihood of admission to a care home by supporting the patient to live independently and by addressing carers' needs for support

The WHO has published its first guideline on the prevention and management of dementia, recommending the adoption of specific lifestyle interventions such as encouraging physical activity and smoking cessation for reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

This report summarises the responses, from stakeholders who were consulted on the progress of the actions set out in the implementation plan, and sets out revised actions for 2018 to 2020.

Expert commentary is provided for a review of 10 RCTs (n=1,592) which found little difference in depression scores between placebo and antidepressants after 6-13 weeks treatment. This review will discourage prescribers from using antidepressants to treat depression in dementia.