Guided by Excellence Project

The aim of the Guided By Excellence Project was to investigate:

• Adherence and impact of the Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia in Dementia Support Australia (DSA) service delivery
• How they are appreciated and implemented by external stakeholders using DSA services.

We produced the following findings from our research:

• DSA delivers evidence-based care recommendations that show a high degree of adherence with Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia.
• Referrers into DSA consider evidence as vital to DSA recommendations, but the level of that evidence varied widely.
• Strong and clear communication between DSA Dementia Consultants and referrers was important in establishing a foundation of trust on the suitability and efficacy of recommendations.
• The Guidelines are often unknown or considered impractical by staff in residential care. DSA Dementia Consultants are considered enablers in translating these guidelines into practice.

Intervene Project

In undertaking pilot research in Intervene Phase 1 during 2014 and 2015, The Dementia Centre identified issues of staff communication, limited interdisciplinary collaboration and inconsistent use of assessment tools as barriers to evidence-based pain management in residential aged care services.

Intervene Phase 2 was a follow-on implementation project between 2016 and 2018, designed to address these issues. The Dementia Centre research team worked with staff at four residential aged care sites in Australia to critique their current approaches to pain management and to co-create strategies for improvement.

Outputs of Intervene Phase 2 have been synthesised and developed into resources which can be used to implement best practice pain management in residential aged care. These resources include an educational booklet, pain management protocol and assessment tools.

The project was funded through the Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre.

Evaluation of Dementia Friendly Communities in Scotland

In 2019, our team was commissioned to undertake a two-year independent evaluation of the Life Changes Trust’s Dementia Friendly Communities programme.

The Life Changes Trust in Scotland supports people living with dementia and unpaid carers in the community through a range of projects. Using a person-centred approach, the Trust aims to transform the lives of people living with dementia and unpaid carers with sustainable improvements in quality of life. The Life Changes Trust has been investing in Dementia Friendly Communities (DFCs) since 2015 and has now funded 40 different communities across Scotland.

Over the two-year project, both geographic and interest-based DFCs were evaluated, providing key learnings and recommendations for policy makers, health services and DFCs in Scotland. The evaluation also addressed the wider societal benefits.

The Dementia Friendly Communities Model was designed to ensure the outcomes of the evaluation could be understood and applied in a practical and sustainable way into the future. The model outlines three key elements that need to be present for a sustainable and successful DFC.