Work still needed in caring for dementia

Three key standards for looking after people with dementia are only “adequate or less” at almost four out of 10 care homes, a report by inspectors revealed.

Overall, the Care Inspectorate found that more than half the 145 homes it examined were “performing at a good or better level in terms of meeting people’s needs, rights and expectations”.

However, chief executive Karen Reid said: “There remain improvements to be made in ensuring quality of life for people is not limited due to lack of expectations of what it means to be an older person living with dementia in a care home.”

When it comes to providing end of life care that respects an individual’s wishes, inspectors said the performance of 42.1% of homes was adequate or lower.

Two-fifths (40%) of homes received this grading when it came to ensuring residents have the right to be as independent as possible.

When inspectors looked at whether carers were well supported and educated about dementia, 38.6% of homes were ranked as adequate or lower.

The report was based on studies of the care homes across Scotland between June 2016 and March 2017.

Around 90,000 people across Scotland have been diagnosed with dementia.

While 55% of homes had ongoing organised activities for residents every day of the week, 10% did not provide any opportunities for people to keep active.

Although the majority now have secure gardens, the report found more than a third could not be accessed independently, with residents requiring a staff member to be present if they wanted to go into the garden.

And in 45% of care homes, staffing levels frequently prevented people from going out at least once a week.

Ms Reid said: “It is possible to live well with dementia and care services play a crucial role in supporting people to do so.

“The evidence presented in today’s report shows examples of excellent care being experienced.

“There are a small number of care homes where the quality of care was not satisfactory when we inspected.

“For those that are not providing the care and support that we would like to see, the Care Inspectorate requires speedy improvement and can provide direct support.”