Dementia workforce core principles
(adapted DH, Skills for Health, Skills for Care, 2011)
- Prevention – promote health and social wellbeing
- Identification – know the early signs of dementia
- Assessment and diagnosis – early diagnosis of dementia helps people receive information, support and treatment at the earliest possible stage
- Communicate sensitively to support meaningful interaction – dementia may affect a person’s ability to communicate and others may need to adapt appropriately
- Living well with dementia – promote independence and encourage activity
- Understanding and responding to distress and unmet needs – recognise the signs of distress or communication of unmet needs and respond by diffusing a person’s anxiety and supporting their understanding of the events they experience
- Respect carers and families – family members and other carers are valued, respected and supported and are helped to gain access to dementia care advice
- Partnership working – work as part of a multi-agency team to support the person with dementia
- Understand the context of care – and support for people with dementia and their families and carers
- End of life care – support is needed for those with dementia and their families and carers
- Ongoing professional development – for dementia workers
- Well trained staff – managers need to take responsibility to ensure members of their team are trained and well supported to meet the needs of people with dementia
- Continual improvement – should be embedded throughout all practice and service delivery