Foundation aims to improve hospital experience of dementia patients with ‘Buddie’ scheme

Date of article: 25-Apr-13

Article By: Laura McCardle, News Editor

An initiative designed to improve the hospital experience of dementia patients, their families and carers is to be piloted in an Essex hospital.

The Mickey Payne Memorial Foundation and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT) hope to implement the ‘Dementia Buddie Scheme’ by the start of June.

The project will see volunteers befriend people with dementia during hospital stays when their family, friends or carers are not available. Caroline Dearson, founder of the Mickey Payne Memorial Foundation, came up with the idea when she was sat in hospital with her father who had vascular dementia.

Mickey Payne

Speaking about her experience at the Alzheimer’s Show in London on 19 April, she said: “It [the idea] stemmed from his visits to the A&E department where staff are trained fully to deal with emergency issues but not emergency and dementia issues.

“During those visits, we weren’t allowed to visit him on the ward outside of visiting hours and had to attend twice a day.

“He became aggravated. Dementia patients are not aware of time and I was called to calm him down.”

During one of those visits Mrs Dearson wondered what would happen if hospital staff were unable to contact a dementia patient’s family and decided there needed to be an extra support system in place.

Sadly Mr Payne, who was once a Beefeater at the Tower of London, passed away in August 2010, but his family’s experience of the condition and the care and support they received led Mrs Dearson to set up the foundation.

Her aim is to create more awareness of the dementia from a family’s point of view and to create a better support system, which she believes the ‘Dementia Buddie Scheme’ will do.

She said: “There needs to be a change around dementia for people and their families. I think sometimes the family gets forgotten and it’s awful to see someone going through dementia. It just completely changes that person and their families – it’s awful.

“We are very passionate and focussed and believe we can take the foundation forward, making a huge difference along the way.”

Speaking about the scheme, Mrs Dearson said: “The idea is in process of being piloted in one of our local hospitals in Thurrock and Grays. If this pilot is successful and effective we are then hoping to implement this in other NHS hospitals.

“The person will have three or four buddies and those buddies will also buddy three or four people because that person won’t go in all the time.

“We’re also going to do video links. We’re going to video the families so if they go in holiday or at Christmas or birthdays the family will be there to say ‘happy Christmas’ on the video link.”

Dr Patrick Geoghegan, chief executive of SEPT, said: “The ‘Buddie Scheme’ is there to support people with dementia, and I am delighted that it is being piloted with SEPT at our hospital in Thurrock.

“Providing the very best safe care and maintaining dignity for people with dementia is my number one priority for patients using SEPT’s services, and I have the confidence that this project will help achieve these aims further.

“I look forward to working with and supporting the work of the Mickey Payne Memorial Foundation now and in the future and encourage people to get involved.”

Everyone who volunteers for the ‘Dementia Buddie Scheme’ will receive full training and undergo a criminal record check.

If you are interested in volunteering for the scheme, email mickeypaynememorialfoundation@hotmail.co.uk or for more information about the foundation, visit www.mickeypaynememorialfoundation.org.uk.

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