Sheffield Hospitals Charity appeal hits £50,000 to fund more dementia friendly care

A charity appeal looking to fund more dementia friendly facilities at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has reached a milestone £50,000.

The Sheffield Hospitals Charity is aiming to raise £200,000 this year to deliver improvements across the city’s wards and departments.

The appeal has already funded a team of specialist dementia practitioners who are helping to identify changes which will better support patients.

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Sally Byers, practitioner, said: “For anyone with dementia, it is so important to have people caring for you who understand your needs.

“We're proud of the care people with dementia receive here, but together there are steps we can take to make the time they spend in hospital as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

“These changes are above and beyond what the NHS can provide, but will make a real difference to patients’ lives which is why this appeal is so important.”

The practitioners have produced a series of guides for estates departments, clinical teams and ward staff highlighting changes with a potential to make a difference to patients.

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Sally said: “This can include decluttering wards and looking at signage, floor and wall colours.

“We are also putting together a training programme with staff who are interested in becoming dementia champions. We want to run a series of study days for them so they can then roll out best practice.”

The appeal is also hoping to fund activities such as arts and music groups, and a mobile dementia café to encourage patients to get out of bed and to socialise.

Dementia currently affects one in four hospital patients and, on average, there are 400 people with some form of the condition being treated in Sheffield hospitals at any one time – a number which is only expected to grow.

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Going into an unfamiliar place, like a hospital can be frightening for people with dementia, who may not understand why they are there.

Being away from their family, their home, and the security of a daily routine can cause symptoms to get worse making it more difficult for them to return home.

To make a donation to the appeal, go to https://bit.ly/2T98Lut