A new project by the Bolton Clarke Research Institute (BCRI) is working together with people with dementia and their carers to find new solutions for care.
BCRI, under its “Mind the Gap!” project, is seeking to design a new approach to day respite, short-term residential respite care, and the transition into permanent care.
The project is aiming to better meet the needs of people with dementia, as well as their carers, says BCRI Research Fellow Dr Claudia Meyer.
“Often people come to aged care through the hospital system, and that is a really stressful time for everyone. There’s a lot of confusion for the person with dementia and a lot of grief and stress that goes on for the family at that time.
“All the little things are so important and help take a bit of pressure off the carers. We are looking at a new model of care so we can have people who are already coming for respite and are familiar with the community, making the transition easier when full-time care is needed,” she said.
One advocate, Ron Sinclair, has cared for his wife after she developed early-onset dementia from her mid-40s. He says this research will help centre the person in finding care solutions, an approach which was missing when he needed to find help for his wife.
“There were things out there where people made decisions about what they thought people with dementia needed but there was nothing that tried to find out what she was like as a person.
“Some people think that when you’ve met one person with dementia, you’ve met all people with dementia. But there can’t just be one solution that meets everyone’s wants and needs. There needs to be a flexibility and understanding in how to make somebody happy, to promote their wellbeing,” he said.
The project is being funded under the Dementia Australia Research Foundation.
