Going into hospital is stressful at the best of times. Being admitted to hospital if you have dementia is much harder. The unfamiliar routines and environment take time to learn. Communicating your needs may be challenging when you are well but become impossible when combined with ill health. Additionally, people with dementia are more likely to develop delirium in hospital, which may make them distressed and agitated.
The presence of a familiar face in the form of a carer can be reassuring. We developed the Carer’s passport at North Middlesex University NHS Trust to allow carers more flexible access to the hospital and cheaper car parking rates. This supports carers to attend the hospital out of visiting hours and reassures them that person with dementia’s needs are being met appropriately. It also reminds staff that carers play a vital role in ensuring high-quality and focused care is provided to people with dementia and that carers often want to feel involved in care and decisions within the health care setting.
