The Dementia End of Life Care project (DeLCaP):Supporting families caring for people with late stage dementia at home

摘要

This article describes the development of a locally based project funded by the BigLottery for 5 years from May 2008 to support five families at any one time caring for a relative with late stage dementia at home. The outcomes centre on improving the well-being of both the person with dementia and their caregivers. The assumption is that the principles of palliative care that have so sensitized the end of life care for people with cancer can be applied to improve the lot of people with dementia and their caregivers. Development of the project therefore entailed bringing together staff across dementia care, palliative care practitioners and crucial generalist community staff, such as GP's and District Nurses. A team with representation from these various professionals and care staff is now up and running to pilot a cross cutting service to meet the particular needs of people with late stage dementia and their families. The funding from the lottery includes additional respite care, training and consultancy. The project is small enough to enable experimentation and the design of a pathway to effectively utilize the knowledge and skills of the different practitioners involved. The scale of the project makes it possible to show how we can transcend the current underdevelopment and fragmentation of community services and help families who wish to do so, to care for their relatives at home.