Title
Results
Personalised Supports and Care for People with Dementia
Context
It is widely acknowledged that community-based supports for people with dementia and their families have been underdeveloped in Ireland. The HSE & Genio Dementia Programme, through an alignment of goals and funding from the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Atlantic Philanthropies, has been seeking to address this. The Programme develops and tests new service models to transform the range and quality of community-based supports for people with dementia in Ireland, and to change how we think about supporting people with
dementia and their families. This is in line with government policy, as expressed through the Irish National Dementia Strategy, which aims to support people to remain at home, living full lives for as long as possible, and supporting families and local communities in this goal.
Aims of the study
The study analysed Irish data and research evidence from the HSE & Genio Dementia Programme, and placed this in the context of the wider international research evidence. It aimed to: (1) provide a synthesis and analysis of the social care value and value for money of a range of psychosocial and other personalised supports; and (2) examine the case for their incorporation into mainstream care for people with dementia across the country.
These aims are linked to one of the key actions of the National Dementia Strategy - the provision of integrated services, care, and supports for people with dementia and their carers, informed by principles of personhood and citizenship.
Key Points
- There is a demonstrated and compelling value case for provision of personalised psychosocial supports as part of care for people with dementia living in the community in Ireland.
- The incremental costs, over and above standard care costs, are relatively small and represent good value for money in delivering on dementia policy and the National Dementia Strategy.
- The evidence presented in this report indicates a strong case for resourcing the provision of personalised psychosocial supports across the trajectory of dementia.
- The projects show that it is practically feasible to implement these types of services at local level within HSE community care services.
Findings Summary
A 4-page summary document of this report is also available.