ABSTRACT
References 169
General hospitals can be dangerous places for people with dementia. Over the past few years the ways that general hospitals manage people with dementia (PWD) has come under increased scrutiny, with a growing realization that PWD are frequently found in many departments across the general hospital, and often experience poor care for both their dementia and the physical problem for which they were admitted. Staff may lack training, skills and experience in dealing with PWD, and impersonal care pathways designed for those who are cognitively intact often do not work well for PWD; both of these factors contribute to the fact that PWD in general hospitals often experience poorer outcomes. Ward environments are confusing, and the multiple ward changes found in many care pathways in general hospitals only contribute to this confusion. Added to this is the close relationship between dementia and delirium, conditions with different aetiologies but many shared clinical features, and we can see that dementia is an important problem that general hospitals must address if they are to deliver good care to all who use their services. This chapter will set out the scale and nature of the problem, before examining some potential solutions that could bring better outcomes for all stakeholders.
