It is estimated in a study completed by The Alzheimer’s Society that 1 million people will have dementia in the U.K. by 2025. This is forecasted to reach over 2 million by 2051.

Shocking statistics by Nursing in Practice reveal a third of care homes specialising in dementia do not provide staff with dementia care training. Only 57% of people living in care homes as a result of dementia are receiving care in suitable settings dedicated to the condition.

In a recent study by The Alzheimer’s society, it called for more training to be provided to care home staff on how to care for people with dementia.

Most people are aware of the rapidly growing demands on our NHS, social services and private care services In the U.K. and as studies have suggested, this is only going to increase in the future putting further demand on care service providers. It is therefore essential to recognise these demands and to put actions in place to cope with providing elderly people suitable and appropriate specialist dementia care.

The Department for Health wants every person with dementia, and their carers and families to receive high quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to end of life care.

Included in the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia 2020, it states that every person diagnosed with dementia should have meaningful care following their diagnosis. This should include support to all of those around the patient/client. All NHS staff are to receive training appropriate to their role, and there is an expectation that social care providers are to provide appropriate training to all relevant staff.

We spend less on dementia as a country than cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease even though dementia is one of the main causes of disability. Many dementia sufferers are cared for by family members who have received no formal training in caring for a person with dementia. This can put a significant strain on the patient/client and their carer affecting their wellbeing, both physically and mentally. Unpaid carers are saving the economy approximately £11 billion a year and help ease the strain on our limited appropriate care homes, yet not enough training is accessed or provided to help home carers cope and understand the complex nature of dementia.

At Personal Care Consultants we have the resources and a team of experienced and qualified staff to provide quality training in addressing the care needs for care providers of people with dementia. This is provided through well-established training modules including; Dementia Awareness Training, National Dementia Strategy and End of Life Care, Basic Awareness of Managing Challenging Behaviour for Older People’s services and staff working with Dementia.