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Quality in long-term care homes for people with dementia: An assessment of specialist provision

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • Siobhan Reilly
  • Michele Abendstern
  • Jane Hughes
  • David Challis
  • Dan Venables
  • Irene Pedersen
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>1/07/2006
<mark>Journal</mark>Ageing and Society
Issue number4
Volume26
Number of pages20
Pages (from-to)649-668
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

There has been debate for some years as to whether the best model of care for people with dementia emphasises specialist facilities or integrated service provision. Although the United Kingdom National Service Framework for Older People recommended that local authority social services departments encourage the development of specialist residential care for people with dementia, uncertainty continues as to the benefits of particular care regimes, partly because research evidence is limited. This paper examines a large number of 'performance measures' from long-term care facilities in North West England that have residents with dementia. Of the 287 in the survey, 56 per cent described themselves as specialist services for elderly people with mental ill-health problems (known familiarly as 'EMI homes'). It was envisaged that EMI homes would score higher than non-EMI homes on several measures of service quality for people with dementia that were developed from research evidence and policy documents. The analysis, however, found that EMI homes performed better than non-EMI homes on only a few measures. While both home types achieved good results on some standards, on others both performed poorly. Overall, EMI and non-EMI homes offered a similar service.