e-CLEAR Dementia Training Platform
The escalating global prevalence of dementia is expected to triple by 2050 (Alzheimer Research UK, 2021) posing a formidable healthcare challenge. Our e-CLEAR Dementia Training platform emerges as an innovative solution to confront these pressing issues, focusing on NI.
Research shows there are 20,000 people living with dementia in NI (Alzheimer's Society, 2016), 944,000 in UK (Alzheimer Research UK, 2021), 6.5M in USA (Alzheimer's-Association), and a staggering 55M worldwide (WHO, 2023). A striking 90% of people living with dementia present with behaviours that challenge carers, including aggression, exit-seeking, and sexually inappropriate behaviour (Walaszek, 2020). Without a solid understanding of dementia and effective engagement strategies, carers frequently respond in ways that contribute to heightened distress and can lead to unnecessary breakdown in placements, hospital admissions, and the prescription of medications with associated risks (Banerjee, 2009; Duffy, 2019).
These consequences carry substantial financial costs, and adversely impact the quality of life for the person with dementia. 80% of people with dementia are admitted to care homes because they present with two or more behaviours that challenge (Bakker _et al_., 2011), with care home residency ranging from 5 to 10 years and associated annual fees £27,000-£39,000 for residential care, and £35,000-£55,000 for nursing care (UK care guide, 2023).
For some people, this behaviour requires admission to a specialist dementia inpatient bed, incurring weekly costs of £2,520 to £3,500 (Scottish Government, 2018) and an average stay of 41.3 days (Wolverson et al., 2022), totalling around £123,000 per person. Behaviours that challenge also contribute to increased staff absence (5%) and staff turnover (38.2%) (CQC, 2022), and the need for increased staffing levels (Ryu _et al_., 2005).
Dementia costs in the UK are £34.7 billion (Alzheimer Society, 2020), and $1.3 trillion globally (WHO, 2023). Given that life expectancy post-diagnosis is 5-10 years, and approximately one in three people will care for someone with dementia in their lifetime, the impact on healthcare and society is profound (Alzheimer's Association, 2023).
This proposal addresses both the challenges faced by carers, and cost savings through increased efficiency and reduced staffing challenges in healthcare. Aligning with the priorities outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan, emphasising improved dementia care and early intervention strategies, and the NICE guidelines (2018) recommending psychosocial approaches to behaviours that challenge, e-CLEAR Dementia supports the essential training needs detailed in the dementia learning and development frameworks.