Compulsory dementia training ‘needed in care homes’

Campaigners, backed by popular actor Tony Robinson, are calling for all care home staff to receive specialist training in dementia.

A survey carried out by the Alzheimer’s Society found that 97 per cent of people looked for well-trained staff when choosing a care home. However, a quarter of people admitted that they did not really know how to tell what constitutes a good care home.

As this data is released, the charity is launching a new guide to help those looking for a care home for family or friend with dementia, the Press Association reports.

The Putting Care Right guide includes advice on what people should ask care home staff when choosing where their relative or loved one should live.

Mr Robinson, who is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Taking the decision to move into residential care will never be an easy one, but being armed with the right information can really help.”

Both of the actor’s parents had some kind of dementia and he confessed he had no idea how to begin to look for a care home when his mother developed Alzheimer’s disease. One in three people aged over 65 will end their life with a form of dementia.