BMJ 2001;323:1427 ( 15 December )

Letters

Quality of care for people with dementia

    Change in attitude is needed
    Dementia care mapping is inadequate tool for research
    Registries charting epidemiological trends and benchmark outcomes are required

Change in attitude is needed

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---Are readers surprised by Ballard et al's findings that nursing homes are failing the needs of patients with dementia?1 Probably not, especially if they spend any time in nursing homes either as a healthcare professional or as a relative or friend.

Ballard et al's conclusion that strategies to improve joint working between the agencies to provide integrated specialist services sounds good, but surely it's the day to day care that's failing people with dementia. Of course they need specialised services, but they need compassion, an understanding of their needs, appropriate activities, and human interaction. These things need time and a special kind of staff who enjoy working with elderly people with challenging problems.

Until relatively recently we were also failing children with severe learning disabilities. Now we understand these children's needs and rights to education, choice, and social interaction. People who work with these children are highly regarded . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Quality of care in private sector and NHS facilities for people with dementia: cross sectional survey
Clive Ballard, Jane Fossey, Ramilgan Chithramohan, Robert Howard, Alistair Burns, Peter Thompson, George Tadros, and Andrew Fairbairn
BMJ 2001 323: 426-427. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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