Dementia care
be a priority but this is especially true in current circumstances when carers are under immense pressure due to Covid-19. Thankfully, innovative technology can make an instrumental difference. For example, icon-driven person-
centred technology, which enables caregivers to seamlessly plan, record and monitor the care of residents living with dementia in real time, has widely become available. By improving carer efficiency and minimising errors, such technology has proven to reduce stress by streamlining processes and, ultimately, helping alleviate the caregiver burden. With the constant threat of further
waves of Covid, it is increasingly important that people living with dementia are protected and receive the appropriate level of care consistently. That can only be achieved through long- term reform and increased funding for dementia research - although technology can play an instrumental role, too. Thankfully, advancements in
technology have provided care homes with the means to adapt during these relentless and, equally, unforgiving times. Technology has so much to offer people living with dementia and their caregivers, from immediate access to information to software that can detect discomfort in those who struggle to communicate pain verbally.
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By incorporating technology that
can enhance rather than replace human relationships and interactions, staff can provide more responsive and personalised dementia care. In turn, this improves a resident’s quality of life. For example, agile and innovative
mobile digital care management systems designed for the care sector have become more accessible in recent times - and are growing in popularity as care homes transition from paper-based systems favoured previously. Often accessed via a mobile device,
staff can use these to document care interactions at the point of delivery, ensuring records are up to date. By enabling carers to provide a more responsive and personalised quality of care, these are incredibly effective at fostering safe, comfortable environments for people living with any form of dementia.
Profile building Another advantage of such software is that it can create a holistic picture of an individual. Not only can health data such as blood pressure, temperature and heart rate be tracked and monitored, but care technology can build a profile on a person’s life. Similar to the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘This is Me’ tool, profile-building software
helps improve the quality of information on a person’s life, which carers can utilise to interact with residents in a way that is comfortable and meaningful to them. By empowering caregivers with
information on someone’s background, hobbies, fears, likes and dislikes in the palm of their hands, they can draw upon it in crucial situations to help someone with dementia. For example, if a dementia resident
suffers from anxiety, a mobile digital care system can be used to store information such as that person’s favourite song or poem. That can calm them and aid with reminiscing, which is a core focus for someone living with dementia. By generating a holistic profile
that gives staff immediate insight into how best to support people with dementia, they are also complying with the Care Quality Commission’s Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOE). Most notably, KLOE C1.4 that asks, ‘Do staff know and respect the people they are caring for and supporting, including their preferences, personal histories, backgrounds and potential?’. Similarly, KLOE R1.2 asks, ‘How does
the service make sure that a person’s care plan fully reflects their physical, mental, emotional and social needs?’. Furthermore, technology makes it possible for carers to interact with
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • December 2021
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