Dementia is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide, profoundly impacting their daily lives and those of their loved ones. Providing care for people living with dementia requires a deep understanding of their unique needs and perspectives. At B&M we use an approach called Dementia Care Mapping™ (DCM), which ensures that high quality person-centred dementia care is provided 24/7 in our homes.

What is Dementia Care Mapping and Why is it Important?

Dementia Care Mapping is a well-established approach recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the public body that makes health and social care recommendations in the UK, and is rooted in the values of person-centred care. For over two decades, care practitioners have been using DCM to enhance the quality of life for people with dementia in various settings, including care homes.

At its core, Dementia Care Mapping™ is rooted in the values of person-centred dementia care. It focuses on understanding the perspectives of individuals with dementia, a perspective often overlooked in caregiving. For example, by observing residents in communal areas at various times of the day, staff can immerse themselves in the residents' reality, gaining a better understanding of their experiences. This helps in measuring the effectiveness of truly person-centred care, as it is essentially a way to look through the eyes of our residents living with dementia.

New revisions and updates are constantly made to the Dementia Care Mapping approach, to provide a constant, accurate evidence base for achieving person-centred care. It serves multiple purposes, including quality monitoring and improvement, individual assessment and care planning, reviewing key moments throughout the day, staff development, and training needs analysis.

How We Implement Dementia Care Mapping in Our Homes

At B&M Care we utilise Dementia Care Mapping methodology to monitor residents' wellbeing in line with our Rose Model of person-centred care. This is done by observing residents’ quality of life and care over a period of time, looking at the interactions between our team members and our residents, and ensuring that psychological needs are being met. These observations take place in communal areas and follow an individual resident who is living with dementia. Once an observation has taken place, the mapper will feedback to the home allowing for reflection and learning. The home will then go on to develop an action plan, which the mapper will review regularly to ensure that progress is being made.

Who Conducts Dementia Care Mapping at B&M Care?

Our dementia care mapping is carried out by an expert team of thirteen skilled dementia care mappers, all of whom have completed the accredited Dementia Care Mapping course provided by the University of Bradford’s Centre for Applied Dementia Studies. This dedicated team, which includes members of the operations team, the training team, senior management, and two of our registered home managers, possess extensive experience in dementia care and caregiving. Leading this team is Caroline Inch, Director of Care, whose creativity and planning has led to the implementation of the Dementia Mapping strategy. She is overseeing the process in each of our homes, having worked hard to develop the entire strategy from start to finish, as well as the B&M Care Dementia Manifesto.

How Dementia Care Mapping Fits into B&M Care's Overall Strategy

Dementia Care Mapping serves as one of the pillars of B&M Care's Dementia Manifesto, which is our plan to elevate the quality of care provided. This manifesto, established by Director of Care Caroline Inch, is a way to elevate our quality of care by improving our dementia training, governance system, dementia environments and much more. The mapping, along with the implementation of in-house Rose Model Ambassadors, are a way of ensuring that we are always delivering care that we can be proud of.

Dementia Care Mapping at B&M Care is more than just an approach; it's a commitment to providing compassionate and effective dementia care. By implementing DCM, we ensure that residents receive care that truly reflects their unique needs and experiences, embodying the principles of person-centred care. Through continuous improvement, education and research, B&M Care sets a high standard for dementia care that benefits both residents and their families.