Dementia

Around half of people aged over 70 who are admitted to hospital as an emergency have a cognitive disorder such as dementia. This BGS position statement sets out the principles of good person-centred care for older people admitted to acute hospitals with dementia.

A series of resources which provide an introductory overview of delirium.

This document describes the care home sector across the UK as it currently stands, how health and wellbeing has traditionally been supported in care homes and sets out what good healthcare provision in a care home environment should look like.

This chapter of the Silver Book II covers the presentation of common geriatric conditions in an urgent care context.

These resources have been developed to help keep older people safe at home by reducing deconditioning and falls hazards, supporting people with conditions such as dementia or Parkinson's, and improving overall wellbeing to help to keep their minds and bodies active.

This brief guidance was developed by Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia at NHS England/Improvement, and has been incorporated into NHS England publications.

Research is an essential part of the global and UK strategy and response to COVID-19. This is the British Geriatrics Society statement on research for older people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published an updated Quality Standard on dementia describing high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.

The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) is used to detect delirium but its sensitivity is low when used in real-world settings. A study explored reasons for this through a series of focus groups with orthopaedic nurses at two academic hospitals in Hamilton, Canada.
 

Alexandra Feast describes a study which highlights how people with dementia experienced pain for a substantial part of their admission without being able to communicate this pain. It explores the relationship between pain, dementia and delirium.

People with dementia are not children but the effect of a hospital stay can be catastrophic for a person with dementia . John's Campaign promotes open visiting hours to enable the family of the person with dementia to minimise the confusion and distress of a hospital stay.

Rose Miranda argues that not only researchers, doctors and nurses should be aware of the phenomenon of pain in people with dementia. We need to make the public aware of it too.

General hospitals are designed to deliver safe, effective and often highly technological care. For people with dementia, however, these unfamiliar clinical environments can be frightening, disorientating and a threat to independence and wellbeing.

Feeling anxious from time to time is a normal human experience. When someone is anxious they might experience feelings of tension, nervousness, heightened awareness, fear or uncertainty, dry mouth and throat, and tightness in the chest. 

What is mental capacity?  What do we really mean when we ask if a patient has (or lacks) capacity?  Capacity often depends on context.  The ethical conundrum of mental capacity unravelled. 

The National Dementia Strategy aims to increase the numbers of participants with dementia into clinical research. But recruiting people with dementia can be challenging. What do you need to think about when planning a study involving patients with dementia?

In 2008 a letter was sent to 826 residential homes in one state in Australia asking them what information was available that addressed issues of intimacy and sexuality.

Clinical guidelines and tailored resources from NICE on supporting people with dementia, mental wellbeing of older people in care homes and a video illustrating the NICE quality standards for mental wellbeing in care homes.

Learn more on the importance of diagnosis and managing chronic kidney disease in older adults through this collection from Age and Ageing in collaboration with the ERA journals Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (NDT) and Clinical Kidney Journal (CKJ).