Health Matters: As for NHS staff working during the pandemic, credit must also be paid to staff working in care homes
There are about 90,000 people in Scotland living with dementia and this is set to rise with an ageing population.
Most of us will have some experience of a family member or friend who has needed long-term care towards the end of their
life.
Care homes have been under the spotlight somewhat over the last year since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. They have been fearful of Covid outbreaks and the devastating impact that an outbreak can have for their residents.
We have all been more aware of our own mental health recently, coping with uncertainty and isolation. For people living with dementia, this has been even more confusing and sometimes distressing.
We have praised and appreciated NHS staff working on the front line of the pandemic, but credit must also be paid to staff working in care homes, who have clearly demonstrated their dedication to the residents they care for.
In June 2020, NHS Highland developed a new Stress and Distress Team dedicated to providing input to care homes in Inverness, comprising of a clinical psychologist, an advanced nurse practitioner, a care home liaison nurse and an occupational therapist.
This team was developed to assist in the care and management of distressed behaviour in dementia. It is important that the reasons for someone’s distress are explored first, before using medication (particularly antipsychotic medication) to treat distressed behaviour.
The team works to create psychologically informed treatment plans that are tailored for any resident who is displaying distressed behaviour. This psychological intervention is known as the Newcastle Model and explores the reasons for someone’s behaviour and any psychological unmet
needs that they might
have.
The hope is that by more effectively meeting someone’s psychological needs, their distress will reduce.
This approach can also help to reduce the rates of prescription of antipsychotics for those in care homes as well as prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
The wellbeing of care home staff is also important, given the pressures of the last year. The Stress and Distress Team has adapted to Covid-19 restrictions by using video calls to conduct clinics when care homes have been shut to visitors.
More recently, the team has been able to attend care homes in person and this support has been very well received.
In addition to working directly with residents and care home staff, the team also assists in delivering stress and distress training to care homes and other agencies to improve the skills and knowledge of staff working with people with dementia.
These training programmes were developed by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and have been delivered in NHS Highland for more than five years
now through trainers working in Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams across the whole of NHS Highland.
We have a great opportunity to work together to improve the psychological wellbeing of people with dementia living in care homes.
Shirley Campbell is an advanced nurse practitioner at NHS Highland.
