New funding provided for dementia care pilot schemes

The government has allocated new funding to medical facilities in England to encourage the development of care environments designed with the needs of people with dementia in mind.

More than 100 hospitals and care homes have been awarded a share of a 50 million pound funding pot to help them create dementia-friendly environments.

For example, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust has received 955,490 pounds to implement a specially designed ward environment with colour-coded bays and symbols, wristbands for patients and red food trays for those who need help with eating and drinking.

The overall aim of the pilot projects is to build evidence around the type of physical changes that have the most benefit for dementia patients, while addressing the problem of cluttered ward layouts and poor signage causing distress and confusion.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "There is little doubt that our home and work environment has an important impact upon our day-to-day lives – and our care environment is no exception."

Dementia affects about 800,000 people in the UK and usually occurs in those over the age of 65.