Good Hope Hospital has launched a new booklet designed to improve care for patients with dementia during their hospital stay.

With one in four of our hospital patients having dementia, the user-friendly booklet, ‘About me’, can be filled in by the person that cares for them.

The booklet is designed to provide a snapshot of the patient, including their likes and dislikes; daily care needs; food and drink preferences and how they like to be communicated with so staff know more about them and can respond better to their needs.  A ‘forget-me-not’ flower magnet, (the national symbol for dementia) is also placed on the patients name board to show staff that they have memory problems and can adjust their care needs accordingly.

‘About me’ was developed by a range of trust staff, including specialist nurses and elderly care consultants.  Following the successful launch at Good Hope Hospital it will be rolled out across the other Heart of England Foundation Trust hospital sites.

Rachel Martin, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust dementia practitioner, said: “People with dementia can become agitated when they are in an unfamiliar environment. ‘About me’ is helping our staff to communicate appropriately with these patients, helping to reduce any feelings of agitation or distress. It also helps family members, reassuring them that their relative is being cared for in the best way possible.”

Published: 16/10/15