Baristas are better trained than dementia staff, according to a new report from the Alzheimer’s society.
In a press release about the report, the organisation said:
“Baristas can receive more training to make great coffee than care workers receive to provide dementia care.
New findings from research commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society and led by experts at the Centre for Dementia Research at Leeds Beckett University and IFF Research show that half of all reported training packages offered just one to two hours of dementia-specific content.
Over a third of staff do not have the basic knowledge of dementia, with only 52% feeling very competent in the care they are providing.
A call for mandatory training
We are calling on the government to build a bold and ambitious dementia plan, which includes mandatory dementia training for care staff.
Around one million people are living with dementia in the UK, this is set to rise to 1.4 million by 2040, making them one of the biggest groups drawing on social care.
Dementia is complex. It affects memory, problem-solving, language and communication, so care needs to be tailored. Most dementia care is provided through social care rather than the NHS, yet these new findings reveal that only 55% of care staff in England said they had received any dementia specific training.
In England, a review of 119 training packages across 53 social care providers, combined with a survey of 184 care staff, reveals:
- 50% of dementia training packages contain only one to two hours of dementia-specific content.
- Less than half (39%) of training is delivered at the level recommended for staff who regularly support people with dementia.
- Only 47% of staff received dementia training as part of their induction, meaning over half of staff are starting to care for people with dementia with no training at all.
- 81% of care workers agreed they would like more dementia-specific training.
The benefits of dementia training
We are calling for mandatory dementia training for relevant adult social care staff. High quality dementia training equips care workers with the skills and knowledge they need to provide good care, build positive relationships and can reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs which are sometimes used to manage behaviours that challenge.
Another benefit is the potential cost savings from reduced GP appointments and emergency hospital admissions.
