Alzheimer’s Society revealed they are funding new research created to battle healthcare inequalities and improve access to care for people with dementia in the UK.
Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, announced the news at 4pm yesterday during the charity’s annual conference.
The £2m has been awarded to a research project called ‘Implementing GRACE: Goal-diRected, Accessible and Evidence-based Care’ which was created by experts from Queen Mary University of London.
Led by Professor Claudia Cooper and Jessica Budgett, the GRACE programme – which is due to commence in spring next year – aims to work directly with individuals and their loved ones/carers to ensure they receive good quality, evidence-based care.
When the project begins the team have said they want to prioritise the areas in the UK with the highest needs. For example, Belfast, Humber and North Yorkshire, North East London, Kent and Medway have recently been discovered to have some of the worst national levels of health inequalities.
‘Dementia hits hardest where health inequalities run deepest,’ Professor Fiona Carragher, chief policy research officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said. ‘Early and accurate diagnoses, access to specialist, personalised dementia care and dedicated support for carers must be a priority – so that everyone receives the help they deserve.
‘Alzheimer’s Society has…brought together decision makers from government, the NHS and local authorities to discuss how we can do better. No one must be left behind.
‘That’s why we’re funding research like the GRACE programme, which will bring much-needed support to underserved communities that historically haven’t had easy access to good dementia care. We must continue to work together to tackle health inequalities barriers. It will take a society to succeed.’
The project builds on the NIDUS-Family programme – also funded by Alzheimer’s Society – which offers support to people with dementia and their carers. NIDUS focuses on practical, day-to-day changes — from improving sleep to increasing meaningful activity — and can be delivered remotely or in person.
To give context into how much support is needed in this area, a report commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society from the Office of Health Economics outlined a staggering 110 healthcare inequalities – such as gender and financial pressures – faced people living with dementia and 28 that affect carers.
Sarah Simmonds, who cared for her father when he was living with dementia with Lewy bodies and took part in the NIDUS programme, said that such projects available in the UK is life-changing.
‘We found that there really wasn’t much structured support once we’d received a diagnosis,’ Sarah explained. ‘NIDUS gave us a direction through the swamp of symptoms and supported us as carers – a role we’d never had before as a family. It was as if I was receiving a kind of therapy in a way – being understood, reassured and guided. That support just wasn’t available through GPs or the NHS.’
Photo by geralt via Pixabay
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