The Fife Dementia Strategy: 2010 – 2020 - The Knowledge Network

• The support of assistive technologies and equipment (for example
Telecare, handrails etc.);
• The ability to respond to emergency situations;
• Multidisciplinary involvement; and
• Regular reviews of care plans.
This will be achieved by developing specialist dementia home care teams
within Fife Council home care service. The carers will have specialist
dementia knowledge, and work with individuals to provide support and
assistance, and to develop their dementia skills and knowledge.
In the long term Fife Council will investigate the potential to retarget its
resources to provide specialist care at home services. These will include
reablement services for all and specialist long term care teams, including one
for people with dementia, which can provide intensive support 24 hours a day
at home. Such services will offer a real alternative to allow people the
opportunity to remain at home rather than moving into a care home. The
Council will continue to work with external providers of care at home to
develop high quality long term services for non-specialist care, and with
community organisations to develop the opportunity for older people and
people with dementia to participate in community groups and clubs (See
Section 4.9.1).
My home carer is here today and gone tomorrow (pause) she just comes
in and whish whoosh she is gone… she must have quite a few people.
(Service user)
Home carers do not have a job they can time to the minute… Would I like
it they suddenly said “Oh, wait a minute, I’ve got to be somewhere.” And
were off? No I wouldn’t. So I’ve got no objection to them finishing the job
there and [being late]. (Carer)
I’ve been in trouble on and off with homecare, you know, it never (pause)
everything doesn’t seem to go right, you can’t get people to come in any
old time. They want to be there for 10 minutes and they are supposed to
be half an hour with you. But I’ve managed to sort most of it out
anyways… you’ve got to insist that that is what I want and if you can’t
provide this I don’t want anything else… you’ve got be a cut above
otherwise you don’t get what you want. (Service user)
We know what we need, and we know when they get things wrong, but
they don’t listen… people like us (service users) they should talk to, and
carers and people like [him] (indicating to a carer) and my wife, that’s the
people they should talk to, uh, because you get a better picture rather than
making an assumption about us. (Service user with dementia)
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