Roy McNally shares his knowledge on Dementia and the DFG.

1. National Body for Home Improvement Agencies
Improving Delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grant
Dementia and DFG
March 2020

2. Context
• Currently around 800,000 people living with dementia in the
UK
• But exact figures are difficult to obtain – diagnosis avoidance!
• Around 80% of these people live outside of residential care.
• These people represent a large and growing segment of
society.
• Do DFG funded interventions help as many of these people as
possible?
#DFGChampions

3. A Typical Dementia Case
• Memory loss
• Withdrawal
• Difficulty with concept of time
• Visual confusion
• Association problems
• Lack of inhibition
• In reality dementia manifests itself in
as many diverse ways as the diversity
of the people it effects.
#DFGChampions

4. The Medical Model (a chemical cosh?)
• Most mainstream therapies for
dementia focus on prescribing
anti-psychotic drugs.
• Many such drugs have a sedative
effect.....
• ....And can reduce life
expectancy!
#DFGChampions

5. Are Dementia Issues
Understood by Clinicians?
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6. DFG Guidance – The Disabled
Person
• S100. Disabilities include:
• substantial impairments in
• sight,
• hearing or
• Speech
• any ‘mental disorder or impairment’ and
• any substantial physical disability whether from birth or through
illness or injury.

7. Who’s best placed to deliver
interventions in dementia?
• You’ve got to know what to look for!
• You’ve got to work from a position of trust!
• You’ve got to consider the carer as much as the person with
dementia!
• You’ve got to be creative
“Let’s Get Creative!”
#DFGChampions

8. Care & Repair Leeds
• Multiple winner of HIA of the Year Award
• Project with Leeds Beckett University
• At the forefront of dementia interventions
#DFGChampions