Dementia Champions Network in Louth Hospital Group

Background Research indicates that 30% of inpatients within an acute hospital have a dementia diagnosis at any time [1]. A specialist dementia nurse led the vision for transforming dementia care in an acute hospital. Aim: Implementation of a dementia champion’s (champions) network in an acute hospital setting aligning with Irish National Dementia Audit 2 (INAD2)[2]. Methods Point prevalence revealed 13.9% of all inpatients presented with dementia. One acute older person’s ward revealed 25% of patients had a dementia diagnosis. The authors recruited 12 champions from four wards and E.D. including RGN, HCA and administrative staff to teach the tools to complete a QI project. The champions attended four innovative workshops accumulating in presenting a quality initiative (QI). The pioneering workshops were designed by CNS Dementia and candidate ANP and ADON Dementia QI. Results The dementia champions engaged in open discussions at each workshop alongside expert guest speakers from the multidisciplinary team. Discussions lead to identifying gaps within their wards resulting in quality improvements including posters relating to communication, reducing environmental noise and the introduction of the Abbey pain scale. In addition, an increased use of a personal passports and meaningful activities such as completing a knitting project to aid communication and to engage a person with dementia. Another champion enhanced their ward by displaying seasonal decorations which led to reminiscence talks with patients. One champion progressed onto a level 8 module focusing on dementia care. Conclusion The champions excelled at becoming dementia leaders within a network for their clinical areas through their QI projects. References [1] Begley et al., “Model of Care for Dementia in Ireland.” [2] Bracken Scally, “Irish National Audit in Dementia (INAD-2).”