Occupation

Abstracts
Posters
who are in the later stages of dementia and are presenting with
behaviours that care home staff are experiencing as challenging.
Susannah’s special interests are using sensory based interventions
to meaningfully engage or to provide positive approaches to care
and education for care home staff.
Clare Jones is a Senior Occupational Therapist for Tees, Esk &
Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. She currently works on an
Inpatient Unit and for a Memory Service. Clare specialises in
creating Life Story Booklets, to help someone with dementia
to adjust when moving into residential care. She also runs a
monthly Living Well with Memory Loss Group for people who
are just starting their journey of dementia. Clare incorporates
Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care in all aspects of her
work and has provided PAC Training for the OTs and staff within
Inpatient Units across North Yorkshire.
P33
Reflecting on facilitating a cognitive stimulation
therapy group in an inpatient setting
Tufts E, Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation
Trust
Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) has been identified as
one of the most effective non-pharmacological treatments for
individuals living with Dementia. The evidence clearly shows
improvements in cognitive function, particularly memory,
orientation, language and visuospatial skills (Spector et al, 2003).
This poster will reflect on the challenges and benefits observed
when applying the principles of CST within an inpatient acute
assessment unit for older people with Dementia and behavioural
and psychological symptoms (BPSD). The group format followed
CST principles in being facilitated on the same days and times,
in the same location with the same facilitators. The only change
in format was for the group to be an open group to allow for
new admissions and discharges. Patient interest, enjoyment
and communication were assessed and recorded at the end of
each session to monitor progress. An informal evaluation was
completed with service users at the end of each session and at
the end of the 12 week programme.
Benefits observed:
• Opportunity for regular cognitive assessment
• Implementation of evidence based interventions
• Improved quality of feedback to MDT
• Improved communication and social skills
• Laughter and friendships developed
• Improved quality of life
• Coping with moving on
Challenges faced:
• Maintaining the same facilitators, days and times in a busy
ward environment
• Meeting the needs of each individual with varying levels of
concentration, engagement and communication.
The group is not regularly being facilitated within the unit due
to the varying needs of service users however principles of CST
are being facilitated on a 1:1 basis. In the next group, the same
principles will be followed however consideration will be given
to using an outcome measure to formally monitor progress.
References
Spector A, Thorgrimsen L, Woods B, Royan L, Davies S,
Butterworth M and Orrell M (2003). Efficacy of an evidencebased
cognitive stimulation therapy programme for people
with dementia: Randomised Controlled Trial. British Journal of
Psychiatry, 183: 248–254
Keywords
Dementia, Practice development, NHS
Contact E-mail Addresses
emily.tufts@cpft.nhs.uk
Author Biographies
Emily Tufts is a senior Occupational Therapist working on acute
wards in Peterborough with older adults living with mental
health problems and those diagnosed with behavioural and
psychological symptoms of Dementia.
P34
The role of an infographic in promoting dementia
awareness amongst healthcare students
Ulman J, University of Sheffield
People with dementia often have complex care and support
needs, requiring occupational therapists (OTs) to develop the
appropriate knowledge and skills to meet those needs. However,
recent findings indicate that healthcare professionals do not
receive adequate preparation for working with people who have
dementia during their pre-qualification training (Pulsford 2007
Tullo and Gordon 2013).
The present research study used the findings from survey data
to examine the role of an infographic in promoting dementia
awareness. 131 healthcare students (including six OT students)
responded to the survey. 71 per cent of the sample reported
that the infographic had increased their dementia awareness,
even though almost all reported having some knowledge of
dementia prior to watching the infographic. Moreover, the
information conveyed by the infographic was generally received
positively by participants. Thus, the study provides tentative
evidence that infographics may be an effective and acceptable
means of conveying core information to provide basic dementia
awareness.
A review of the literature revealed a lack of consensus about
what constitutes awareness, knowledge and understanding,
with implications for the debate about dementia education and
for the validity and comparability of evidence about the impact
of learning upon dementia care.
It is recommended that universities promote the infographic
amongst their students and staff. For healthcare students,
however, it is recommended that the infographic is embedded
in a dedicated webpage enabling access to further resources
about dementia to encourage more in-depth learning and
understanding. Future research and debate needs to distinguish
between education for basic dementia awareness, such as the
infographic in the study, and in-depth education which can
enable future OTs to deliver high-quality care and support with
confidence.
References
Pulsford, D, Hope, K. and Thompson, R. (2007) Higher education
provision for professionals working with people with dementia:
A scoping exercise Nurse Education Today 27, pp 5–13
Tullo, E.S. and Gordon, A.L. (2013) Teaching and learning
about dementia in UK medical schools: a national survey BMC
82