Connecting with people in a meaningful way can be one of the most rewarding aspects of caring jobs. The idea that care is women’s work is slowly being eroded as the number of male carers increases.
There are estimated to be 750,000 people with dementia in the UK and this is set to rise to over one million by 2021. Understanding dementia has been identified as part of the challenge to health care – especially for those involved in caring for people with dementia, many of whom also require end-of-life care. Dementia most often affects older people and as the number of older people in the population increases so too does the incidence of dementia. The physical, emotional and economic costs of caring make this an increasingly urgent problem for western societies.
General dissatisfaction with the quality of dementia care
Following the showing of the two Gerry Robinson programmes ‘Can Gerry Robinson fix the Dementia Care Homes Industry?’ in 2009, responses from viewers highlighted a general dissatisfaction with the quality of dementia care which suggests a high level of need for education in this area.
From 2012 we will be offering a new course Dementia care (K235) to address the development needs of individuals caring for people with dementia. The course will offer a realistic portrayal of dementia care using the voices and experiences of people with dementia and their carers to develop effective ways of understanding and improving the quality of care. Students studying the course will consider what dementia is, what treatments are available, how to care effectively and the ethical dilemmas people with dementia and their carers face every day and at the end of life.