- For confidential advice, call Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456
- Alzheimer’s Society’s symptoms checker can help spot the signs of dementia
Keeping dementia sufferers out of hospital could save the NHS millions of pounds and prevent patients deteriorating, leading experts claim.
Those with the degenerative brain condition admitted to traditional wards are more likely to face delays when being discharged, which can lead to worsening cognitive function, poor mental health and increased risk of falls, research has shown.
Medics say this could be prevented by treating more patients in virtual wards – known as ‘hospital at home’ – where patients get hospital-level treatment while staying indoors.
‘A hospital can be distressing for someone with dementia – it is an unfamiliar environment and the bright lights are unpleasant,’ says Professor Nathan Davies, an expert in ageing at Queen Mary University of London and co-director of the Alzheimer’s Society doctoral training centre.
‘But it can also exacerbate problems like cognitive decline, and being stuck in a bed that restricts movement can lead to muscle loss and increase the likelihood of falls. Instead, we should be looking to treat more people in virtual wards.’
Research shows people with dementia are more likely to end up in hospital with infections, confusion and malnutrition.
Virtual wards allow these to be treated in the community.
Those with dementia admitted to traditional wards are more likely to face delays when being discharged, which can lead to worsening cognitive function, poor mental health and increased risk of falls
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
In an ‘at home’ hospital, clinicians are able to take blood tests, prescribe medication or administer fluids.
These are in place in some places but the system is a postcode lottery. Professor Davies says: ‘We need a standard approach across the NHS.’
This comes after the Daily Mail revealed that delays discharging dementia patients from hospital cost the NHS £328million last year and wasted half a million bed-days.
The Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society partnered last year in a drive to beat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives a year and is the UK’s biggest killer.
The Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease to increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.
Prof Davies adds: ‘Not all conditions can be treated in virtual wards but they will reduce the number of times patients need to visit hospital, improving their quality of life.’
