The NHS has announced that hundreds more people will be screened for dementia as a part of a new nationwide trial of a specialized service.
Specialist nurses and other healthcare experts will proactively check nursing home residents for the condition as part of 14 new pilot programs being rolled out in the new year.
During the pandemic, there was a dramatic fall in the prevalence of dementia diagnoses, leading to fears that more people are living with the disorder without access to appropriate assistance and counseling.
However, according to specialists, the new experiment will lower the amount of missed instances.
As part of local efforts to combat dementia, general practitioners will exchange a list of nursing home residents without a dementia diagnosis.
Residents will be offered a comprehensive face-to-face assessment and pilot staff will verify with the nursing home to determine if those on the list have memory problems.
Then, they will assess a resident’s medication use and chat with friends and family to establish if they have dementia.
In January, two pilot projects will be started in each of England’s seven regions, thanks to a £900,000 investment by NHS England.
A successful trial in Norfolk administered face-to-face examinations to 100 nursing home residents, of whom 95 were diagnosed with dementia.
A relative of a resident who obtained a diagnosis as a consequence of the trial stated that it “gave her peace of mind.”
Professor Alistair Burns, the national clinical director for dementia at NHS England, stated, ‘The epidemic has had a natural effect on the number of persons diagnosed with dementia, with elderly people seeing fewer people to protect themselves against Covid-19.
The NHS is keen to ensure that those who got dementia during the pandemic receive a diagnosis, as this will open the door to more care for people and their families afflicted with this heartbreaking disease.
Importantly, there is also help for their relatives and carers.’ There are many things we can do in the NHS to care for and support people who have received a diagnosis.
Therefore, if you observe someone experiencing symptoms throughout the holiday season, please encourage them to attend their GP for an evaluation; the sooner someone is seen, the sooner the NHS can provide support.
The newest NHS statistics reveal that 451,992 people in England have been diagnosed with dementia, an increase of 2.8% over the previous year.
The number of referrals to memory services rebounded to pre-pandemic levels with 301,218 in 2021/22, according to data.
Alzheimer’s Society’s Associate Director of Advocacy and System Change, Mark MacDonald, stated, ‘Diagnosing dementia is key to unlocking the appropriate care and support, therefore we’re happy NHS England is prioritizing the diagnosis of people in care homes through this program.
‘Knowing that a person has dementia can revolutionize their care, ensuring that they receive the correct kind of support and that their families and carers have the information and direction they also require after a diagnosis.
“We are aware that the vast majority of persons who have received a dementia diagnosis view it as a good development, albeit one that is frequently life-altering.” If successful, we want this pilot to be expanded out across England as quickly as possible, with an emphasis on improving dementia diagnosis for everyone, both inside and outside of care facilities.’
Thanks to the pilot, mental health nurse Laura Hudson, 45, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was able to identify her mother Pam, an 80-year-old former nurse, with dementia.
She stated, “She worked as a general nurse for twenty years, but those who knew her before would not recognize her now.”
She would not eat if you did not force her to do so. She would not drink unless forced to do so.
‘I’m delighted that she has been diagnosed with dementia since it has prompted people to delve a little deeper with her. Whether you ask her if she’s okay, she’ll claim she’s OK, but sometimes you need to dig a little deeper to get the truth.
“She is receiving excellent care at her current location, but the diagnosis provides me peace of mind that if she must be hospitalized, she will be handled adequately there.”
