Dementia care team

Patient information

How does the team support patients?

Understanding individual needs

For someone living with dementia, spending time in an unfamiliar place and meeting new people, such as those providing clinical care, can be very unsettling and distressing. The team works in partnership with carers, relatives and ward staff to ensure that each patient's individual needs are understood and met.

Eating and drinking

Patients living with dementia often experience a loss of appetite while they are in hospital. The dementia care team has a particular focus on supporting them to eat and drink during their stay. Our nutritional support team (NOSH) can provide additional help and techniques to encourage eating and drinking.   

Pain management

We also have a strong focus on ensuring our staff recognise and treat pain in our patients with dementia, as telling someone about pain might be difficult for a person living with dementia. We use a special assessment tool to identify the presence of pain and treat it.

Activity and social interaction

We know that it can be difficult for people living with dementia to occupy themselves without support. We therefore work with ward staff to provide meaningful activity for these patients. Our three artists, Rhian, Phoebe and Georgia work with the team to provide stimulating activities, and in addition to this, we can suggest different activities that the staff can provide for patients as well as social events such as tea parties and the occasional donkey visit.  

We can also provide twiddle muffs (knitted fidget items) which can calm a person who is anxious or fidgety.

How does the team support carers and relatives?

We are committed working in partnership with carers and relatives. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust provides Carer’s Passports for a person living with dementia’s support person (this can be a carer or relative). This enables the person to be there when the patient needs them rather than having to fit around visiting times.

The dementia team is also available to provide advice or just a friendly ear if a carer or relative needs it, just get in touch and we can arrange to meet.  

Patient information leaflets

• Helping someone with dementia to eat

• Information for carers of people with dementia