A Barrow hospital worker has spoken about why she volunteers as a dementia champion.
Dani Petrova, a clinical support worker at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, has volunteered as a dementia champion for three years.
Dementia champions are volunteers who help to improve the lives and care of people living with dementia.
They work alongside their paid jobs within the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT).
Ms Petrova said: "I have been a dementia champion for around three years.
"I just want to help and make a difference – to make things better for people.
"I work in the A&E at Barrow, and we see people who have not been diagnosed with dementia.
"As a dementia champion, I can recognise the signs and symptoms, so I speak to the doctors and see if they can help to get a diagnosis for the person.
"As a clinical support worker, I am one of the first people that patients come into contact with at the A&E, so I try to make sure they are okay and look after them."
The trust has a large team of dementia champions who meet four times a year for training to help them improve the care they give to people living with dementia.
They have also been supported by Dianne Smith, the trust’s dementia matron and consultant admiral nurse for dementia, who leads the dementia champions and provides the training.
Ms Petrova said: "I am very passionate about our trust’s ‘passports of care’ and make sure they are always available on the wards.
"The passport has the person’s details on them and their likes, dislikes, medication, contact details and other information.
"I try to make sure they have one before they leave hospital to go home or to a care home, so if they need to come back, we have all of the important information in the passport.
"People are usually very happy to fill the passport in once they understand what it is for and how it helps."
The trust utilises a number of initiatives to help people living with dementia, including the Care Partner programme, the Butterfly Scheme, and John's Campaign.
The Care Partner programme supports people who want to be involved in the care of their relative or friend during their time in hospital.
People may already be involved in the person’s care at home and have a lot of knowledge and experience regarding their preferences and what makes them comfortable.
The loved one or carer will be called a ‘Care Partner’ and will wear a lanyard while on the ward.
The Butterfly Scheme provides a system of hospital care for people living with dementia or who simply find that their memory isn’t as reliable as it used to be.
John’s Campaign supports loved ones and carers to be with a person who is living with dementia in a hospital.
The trust also has specialist dementia professionals known as admiral nurses who are continuously supported and developed by the charity Dementia UK to provide 'life-changing support' for families affected by all forms of dementia.
Ms Smith said: “As admiral nurses we not only support our patients, but also create a care plan with a bespoke assessment for dementia right at the beginning a person’s time in hospital.
"We work with people with either diagnosed or undiagnosed dementia who are unsettled, agitated, confused and delirious, and at risk.”
The public can contact the National Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline for support with any aspect of dementia on 0800 888 6678 or helpline@dementiauk.org.
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