The UK is currently home to nearly a million individuals grappling with dementia, and this figure is projected to double by 2050.
Internationally, dedicated researchers are racing against time to unearth a cure. Until then, there are medications available to mitigate some of the symptoms.
Beyond medicine, various therapeutic approaches have shown promise in alleviating symptoms. More and more care homes are employing dementia experts to disseminate good dementia practice and this can include using innovative therapies.
As part of World Alzheimer’s Month, carehome.co.uk, the leading reviews site for care homes, has been talking to care homes about what they do to help support people with dementia.
Doll therapy
Doll therapy is used by some care homes, as giving people living with dementia a doll to cuddle can be very comforting and can calm them if they are agitated.
However, it can be upsetting for family members to see their grandma or mum cuddling a doll as it can appear demeaning.
According to carehome.co.uk, care home staff find it important to closely monitor residents’ interactions with the dolls, as some can get too attached, and can put them to sleep in their beds while they themselves sleep in the chair.
Therapists recommend using dolls that are as lifelike as possible.
A care home in Gravesend, run by Rapport Housing and Care, was given a reborn doll as well as a classic Silver Cross pram so the residents can push the doll around the home.
Melanie Martin, deputy manager said: “The effect the baby has on the residents is heartwarming and emotional, it brings them joy like nothing I have seen before. When the baby is around the whole mood changes, they speak quietly as not to wake her and they are so gentle with her, it’s beautiful to see.”
Staff wearing pyjamas so dementia residents know it’s bed time
carehome.co.uk data revealed that one in 10 care workers wear pyjamas at night-time, so care home residents who have dementia know it is time for bed.
This initiative helps promote sleep at night and reduces pacing and disorientation as well as reducing night-time falls with less residents being awake at night.
The Old Vicarage care home in Cumbria is one of those that introduced the wearing of pyjamas for staff around five years ago. It has now changed this policy to wearing dressing gowns as staff find it more tricky wearing pyjamas when doing tasks such as cleaning.
Owner Kamal Siddiqi said: “We have found staff wearing dressing gowns to be very helpful in encouraging confused residents who wake during the night that it is night time not day time, sometimes they will sit with night staff and have a cup of tea before returning to their beds.”
Staff at Simonsfield Care Home in Runcorn wear pyjama-style scrubs when they are on night-time shifts. Manager Debbie Smith said the initiative was introduced and the care home saw such a “drastic improvement in their sleep patterns” it was made permanent.
She said: “It is remarkable how a simple change in uniform can have such drastic impact on the lives of those living with dementia.”
Intergenerational care
Children can have a very beneficial effect on people living with dementia. The engagement levels of someone with dementia can dramatically change when a child walks in the room and they can be far more animated and communicative.
This is why some care homes run intergenerational programmes where they partner with a nursery or a primary school.
Wren Hall is a dementia nursing home in Nottinghamshire which offers intergenerational care. It joined forces with Little Wrens Day Nursery this year and opened an intergenerational space.
Its managing director, Anita Astle says: “Intergenerational care breaks down stereotypes and promotes empathy and understanding between generations.
“It is a beautiful way to create meaningful connections and enhance the quality of life for everyone involved.”
A nursery worker who took a group of two-year olds into Wren Hall Nursing Home, reveals how the face of one of the women living in the care home ‘lit up’ at the sight of the children.
“The lady had the biggest grin on her face and said: ‘It makes my day when the children come,” said the nursery worker.
Animal therapy
Interaction with animals can reduce anxiety in people with dementia and boost mood and communication. They can also trigger reminiscence in people who had pets before they entered the care home.
A care home in Oxfordshire that specialises in dementia care recently transformed into a farm for the day as part of its wellness programme.
Rosebank Care Home was joined by Ark Farm and played host to dogs, donkeys, sheep, goats, ducks, chickens and rabbits.
Tammie, a lifestyle coordinator at Rosebank Care Home said: “It was lovely. Everyone felt included in the activities and it was just so relaxing. I think people forget how calming the presence of animals can be, there wasn’t a single resident that didn’t benefit from it.”
Robotic pets
Some care homes do have their own resident pets but for care homes specialising in dementia care, this may not be an option.
This is why a number of care homes use robotic dogs and cats for their residents as they respond to touch by purring or barking and wagging their tails.
A study by Plymouth University of eight care homes in Cornwall found robotic pets calmed residents with moderate and severe dementia and reduced their anxiety as well as boosting mood and reducing agitation and providing reassurance.
Beverley Barnes, who manages compliance and quality assurance at Hillcrest House Nursing Home said: “At Hillcrest house the evidence showed that the use of these two robotic pets with our residents living on the dementia unit was very invaluable.
“We had one particular resident who had previously had a pet Labrador before coming into the home and as a result she was drawn to the robotic dog thinking it was her pet. This had a great calming effect on her moods and behaviour and she became a different, happier person as a result.”
Sue Learner, editor of carehome.co.uk, said: “It is good to see care homes thinking outside the box and offering non-medical therapies for people living with dementia.
“Some people with dementia are on medication for symptoms such as anxiety and to boost their mood but these therapies can be used as an alternative to medication which may have nasty side effects.
“It is crucial we try and imagine walking in their shoes when we are giving care to people living with dementia and tailor the therapy and treatment to the individual.”