Families affected by dementia in Kent are invited to take part in an award-winning programme to improve dementia care. Time for Dementia pairs families affected by dementia with undergraduate students studying healthcare, helping the students to gain a better understanding of living with dementia, and develop skills to provide better care for patients and their families.
Students visit a family affected by dementia in pairs over a two-year period, which provides a unique opportunity to see people affect by dementia in their own home. The visits are designed to enable students to see how a diagnosis of dementia can affect people and the challenges and changes that they may face over time. The students also receive supporting tutorials and lectures. Families will be visited by Alzheimer's Society initially to explain the programme in more detail and answer any questions. Families taking part can expect to see the same pair of students up to six times over the course of two years of the students' studies, with each visit lasting between 1-2 hours.
The Time for Dementia programme has been embedded as a core component of the curriculum at University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church University along with three universities across Sussex and Surrey with a range of undergraduate health care students. So far, more than 1,200 families and 2,600 students have taken part in the programme.
Evaluation of the programme has shown huge improvements in students' knowledge and attitude towards dementia. Additionally, students report they have gained knowledge of what it might be like to live with dementia; their confidence and skills in communicating with people with dementia has improved; and that they have more awareness of the role of carers.
For more information, to make a referral or to get involved please contact Time for Dementia by email timefordementia@alzheimers.org.uk or by phone on 07763 582643.
